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PRINTS  INDIA 

••" 


11, 


.A. 


OP   THE 


BHAGAVATA  PURANA 


OR 


ESOTERIC  HINDUISM 


BY 


PURNENDU  NARAYANA  SINHA,  M.  A.,  B.  L. 


feENARES  : 


TKIN  >:,  LTD.,  AT  THE  TARA 

•01. 


BL 


To 

fin  HIE  BBS  ANT 

THE  BHAGAVATA  OF  BHAGAVATAS 

THESE  PAGES  ARE  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 

BY 
HER  MOST  DEVOTED  BROTHER. 


"  Let  him  kiss  me  with  the  kisses  of  his  mouth  :  for  thy  love 
is  better  than  wine. 

Because  of  the  savour  of  thy  good  ointments  thy  name  is  as 
ointment  poured  forth,  therefore  do  the  virgins  love  thee 

Tell  me,  O  thou  whom  my  soul  loveth,  where  thou  feedest, 
where  thou  makest  thy  flock  to  rest  at  noon  ;  for  why  should  I  be  as 
one  that  turneth  aside  by  the  flocks  of  thy  companions? 

If  thou  know  not,  O  thou  fairest  among  women,  go  thy  way 
forth  by  the  footsteps  of  the  flock,  and  feed  thy  kids  beside  the 
shepherds'  tents." 

THE  SONG  or  SOLOMON, 


, 


PREFACE. 

ne  Bh^gavata   is   the   most  popular   of  all  Puranas  and  it  is 

che  highest  esteem  by  Vaishnavas  in   all    parts   of  India.     It 

iQ  most    authoritative    book    with   such   religious   teachers   as 

Jhaitanya.     Several    commentaries   have   been   written    on  this 

work,     It   is   however   strange   that   there   has   been  so  much 

ssion  about  the  authoritative  character  of  the  work.     The  readers 

ill  familiar  with  that  discussion  and  I  need  not  refer  to  it  further 

to  say  that  the  discussion  does  not  in  any  way  affect  the  intrinsic 

t  of  the  book,  and  the   verdict  of  the  public  is  so  certain  in  this 

ect  that  the  book  will  continue  to  be  the   most   popular   of  all 

mas,  despite  any  thing  that   may   be   said   as   to   its   authorship 

he   period  of  its  appearance. 

The  Padma  Purana  devotes  a  chapter   to   the   worship  of  this 

rana   and   calls   it   the   most   exalted  of  all  the  Puranas  and  the 

j 

ok  is  actually  worshipped  in  many  Hindu  houses.  The  Purana  is 
.cited  all  over  India  by  learned  Pandits  and  Sadhus  and  its  subject 
jatter  is  familiar  to  every  Hindu. 

PROFESSOR  WILSON  SAYS  :— "  Bhagavata  is  a  work  of  great 
-jlebrity  in  India  and  exercises  a  more  direct  and  powerful  influence 

•on   the  opinions   and    feelings   of    the   people   than    perhaps   any 

*  of  the  Puranas.     It  is  placed  fifth  in  all  the  lists  but  the  Padma 

ma  ranks  it  as  the  eighteenth,   as  the  extracted   substance   of  all 

rest.     According  to  the  usual  specification  it  consists  of  eighteen 

usand  slokas,  distributed  amongst    three   hundred   and   thirty-two 

apters  divided  into  twelve  Skandhas  or  books.     It  is  named  Bhaga- 

ta  from   its   being  dedicated   to   the   glorification  of  Bhagavat  or 

shnu." 

Referring  to  the  Tenth  Skandha,  Professor  Wilson  says    "  The 
ith  book  is  the  characteristic  part  of  the  Purana,   and  the  portion 

•on  which  its  popularity  is  founded It  has   been  translated 

ito,  perhaps,  all  the  languages  in  India,  and  is  a  favourite  work  with 
U  descriptions  of  people." 

Much    as    the    book    commands  the  respect  of  the   Hindus, 

:   has   brought   upon   itself  the   ridicule   and    sarcasm   of  those  that 

"ack   Hinduism.      It  is  the   Tenth   SkaUdha   which  has   given   the 

..waLjst  Candle  to  all  adverse  criticism  and  it  is  the  one  Skandha  in  the 

*'ole  book  which  is  so  little  understood  by  foreigners,  unacquainted 


II  PREFACE 

with  the  genius  of  the  Hindu  religion,  particularly  with  its  love 
aspect  which  is  the  peculium  of  all  real  devotees  in  every  great 
religion.  But  the  modern  professors  of  great  religions,  being  lost  in 
their  material  surroundings,  have  entirely  lost  sight  of  that  aspect. 
The  songs  of  Solomon  will  stand  out  in  all  ages  as  an  expression  of 
enthusiastic  and  rapturous  love  of  the  human  soul  for  the  Divine 
Lord,  whether  the  Christians  of  the  modern  day  understand  them  or  not. 
The  Divvans  and  Sufis  bore  the  highest  love  to  their  divine  Lover, 
whether  or  not  the  Mahammedans  of  the  present  day  follow  the  out 
pourings  of  their  heart. 

Love   in   religion   is   a   Science.      It   is  the  natural  outcome  • 
of  the  human  soul,  when  it  is  freed  from   impurities  and  cured  of 
distractions. 

All  religions  speak  of  the  purity  of  the  mind,  and  they  speak  also 
of  devotion  to  God  or  Isvara.  But  no  religion  other  than  Hinduism 
treats  of  the  gradual  development  of  the  mind  as  a  Science,  treats 
of  its  purification  and  then  of  its  natural  attraction  for  Isvara  and  the 
final  assimilation  of  human  life  to  Isvaric  life  as  the  law  of  the 
Universe.  And  no  book  in  Hinduism  deals  with  the  subject  so 
systematically  specially  with  reference  to  the  history  of  the  Universe, 
as  the  Bhagavata  Purana  does.  I  have  tried  to  understand  the  book 
myself  as  an  earnest  student,  with  the  light  afforded  by  the 
book  itself.  I  have  been  greatly  helped  in  the  understanding  of 
of  the  book  by  the  commentary  of  Sridhara  Svami  which  is  by 
common  consent  the  most  authoritative  of  all  the  commentaries  on 
the  Bhagavata  Purana.  Once  a  Pandita  prided  himself  before  Sri 
Chaitanya  on  his  having  put  an  interpretation  upon  a  certain  sloka  of 
the  Purana  different  from  that  of  Sridhara  Svami.  Now  "  Svami " 
is  the  designation,  of  a  learned  Sanyasi,  such  as  Sridhara  Svami 
was  and  it  also  means  a  husband.  Sri  Chaitanya  remarked  "one  that 
does  not  follow  the  Svami  is  unchaste."  Such  was  the  high  opinion 
which  the  great  Teacher  held  regarding  Sridhara's  commentary. 

I  have  purposely  avoided  making  any  reference  to  the  com 
mentaries  made  by  the  followers  of  Sri  Chaitanya  as  I  intend  to  study 
them  separately  along  with  the  teachings  of  his  school, 

The  method  of  treatment  followed  in  this  study  will  speak  for 
tself.  I  have  separated  the  text  from  my  own  observations  except 
in  the  introductory  chapter  and  in  the  reference  to  Sukadeva  in  the 
chapter  on  Vira"t  Purusha,  and  one  can  follow  the  text  itself,  without 
accepting  any  of  my  own  views.  I  believe  I  have  faithfully  repro 
duced  the  text  in  its  essential  features,  I  have  omitted  unimpor- 


PREFACE  III 

tant  details,  poetical  descriptions,   prayers  and  adorations — some    of 
them   most  beautiful  and  sublime — and  I  have  also  omitted  the  intro 
duction  by  Suta  arfd  his  concluding   words.     Suta  related  the  Purana 
to  Rishi  Sounaka  and  others  as  he  heard  it  from  Sukadeva. 

The  proofs  have  passed  through  different  hands  and  the  trans 
literation  of  Sanskrit  words  has  been  differently  made.  For  instance 
5T  has  been  rendered  as  s,  s,  s  and  sh.  Though  I  would  prefer  s, 
the  dash  has  been  generally  omitted,  for  the  convenience  of  the 
printer.  There  have  been  also  several  mistakes  in  names. 

My  best  thanks  are  due  to  the  several  gentlemen,  who  have  gone 
through  the  proofs  and  specially  to  my  friend  Mr.  Bertram  Keightley 
M,  A,,  who  has  gone  through  nearly  the  whole  of  the  manuscripts. 


INDEX. 

* 

PA.GE. 

Discourse  between  Vyasa  and  Narada  ...  ...  i 

SKANDHA  I. 

Account  of  Narada  ...  ...  ...  ...  3 

SKANDHA  II. 

Virat  Purusha  ...  ...  ...  ...  6 

« 

Purusha  in  all  Hearts         ...                 ...  ...  ...  8 

Death  of  the  Yogi  and  After                ...  ...  ...  9 

What  men  should  do          ...                 ...  ...  ...  12 

BHAGAVATA  PURANA  AS  RELATED  BY  BRAHMA  TO  NARADA. 

I.  The  Creation                 ...                 ...  ...  ...  12 

II.  Preservation  by  Lila  Avataras       ...  ...  ...  14 

The  Parts  of  a  Purana.      ...                 ...  ...  ...  19 

SKANDHA  III. 
BHAGAVATA  AS  RELATED  BY  MAITREYA  TO  VIDURA. 

I.     The  Creation         ...                 ...  ...  ...  20 

II.     Vasudeva  and  Sankarshana     ...  ...  ...  23 

III.  Creation  by  Brahma                 ...  ...  ...  24 

IV.  Divisions  of  Kala...      •           ...  ...  ...  29 

V.     Creation  by  Brahma  (continued)  ...  ...  33 

The  First  Manvantata. 

VI.     Varaha                   ...                ...  ...  ...  36 

VII.     Hirnyaksha    .        ...                 ...  ...  ...  37 

VIII.     Deva  and  Deva-Yoni  creation...  ...  ...  40 

IX.     Kardama  and  his  progeny        ...  ...  ...  41 

X.     Kapila's  Instructions  to  Devahuti  ...  ...  42 

SKANDH,A  IV' 

Genealogy  of  Manu  and  the  Rishis     ..:  ...  ...  47 

General  Remarks  on  the  Genealogical  Tables  ...  ...  62 

Detailed  consideration  of  the  Tables  ...  ...  ...  67 


Quarrel  between  Siva  and  Daksha  ...  75 

Story  of  Dhruva 

Story  of  Prithu 

Story  of  Prachina  Rarhish  or  Barhishad 

Allegory  of  Puranjana       ...  ...  89 

The  Prachetasa  Brothers  ...  ...  91 

SKANDHA  V. 

Priyavrata                           ...  ...  102 

Agnidhra          ...  ...  103 

Rishabha          ...  ...  103 

Bharata            ...                 ...  ...  104 

The  Earth  Chain                 ...  ...  in 

Ganga               ...                 ...  •••                 -••                 •••  II6 

Varshas            ...                 ...  ...                 •••                 •••  "7 

Dvipas  •••  I2° 

Svar  and  Bhuvar                 ...  ...                 «««                 ...  127 

The  Sun           ...                ...  •••  I27 

The  Planets  and  Stars       ...  ...  1 30 

ThePatalas     ...  ...  132 

Ananta             ...                 ...  •••  *  34 

Narakas           ...                ...  •••                •••                 •••  J34 

SKANDHA  VI. 

Ajamila            ...                •••  •••                •••                •••  *35 

Progeny  of  Daksha            ...  ...  1 37 

Visvarupa        ...                 ...  •••                 •••                 •••     *42 

Vritra               ...  •••                                   •••     r43 

Chitraketu        ...  •••     J45 

Daityas             ...                 ...  •••     J47 

Maruts             ...                ...         '  •••                •••                •••     X48 

^ 

SKANDHA  VII. 

Suras  and  Asuras  -•     r49 

Hiranya  Kasipu  ...                 •««                 •••     J57 

Hiranya  Kasipu  and  Prahlad  ...     *57 

Prayer  of  Prahlad               ...  ...     162 

Varna  and  Ashrama  •••     l64 

Yajna              •-'               •••  •••                                  "•     l65 


[    3    ] 
SKANDHA  VIII. 

The  Second  Manvantara    ...  ...  ...  ...  166 

The  Third Manvantara     ...  ...  ...  ...  166 

The  Fourth  Manvantata  ...  ...  ...  ...  167 

The  Elephant  and  the  Crocodile          ...  ...  ...  167 

The  Fifth  Manvantara        ...  ...  ...  ...  168 

The  Sixth  Manvantata      ...  ...  ...  ...  1 68 

The  Churning  of  the  Ocean  ...  ...  ...  169 

The  Seventh  Manvantara  ...  ...  ...  ...  176 

The  Eighth  Manvantara  ...  ...  ...  ...  176 

The  Ninth  Manvan tata     ...  ...  ...  ...177 

The  Tenth  Manvantara     ...  ...  ...  ...  177 

The  Eleventh  Manvantara  ...  ...  ...  177 

The  Twelfth  Manvantara  ...  ...  ...  ...  178 

The  Thirteenth  Manvantara  ...  ...  ...  1 78 

The  Fourteenth  Manvantara  ...  ...  ...178 

The  System  of  Administration  in  a  Manvantara  ...  ...  178 

Bali  3  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  1 80 

Matsya  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  184 

SKANDHA  IX. 
THE  VAIVASVATA  MANVANTARA. 

Sudyumna       ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  185 

Ikshvaku  Brothers  ...  ...  ..."  ...  185 

Prishadhra        ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  185 

Kavi  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  1 86 

Karashu  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  1 86 

Dhrishta  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  186 

Nriga  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  186 

Saryati  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  188 

Nabhaga  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  188 

The  Progeny  of  Ikshvaku  ...  ...  ...  192 

The  Lunar  Dynasty  ...  ...  ...  ...  202 

Thoughts  on  the  Vaivasvata  Manvantara  ...  ...  227 

SKANDHA   X. 

VRINDAVANA  LILA, 

Birth  of  Sri-Krishna  ...  ...  ...  ...  245 


[    4    ] 


Counsel  with  the  Daityas  ... 

Nanda  and  Vasudeva 

Putana 

The  Cart 

Trinavarta 

"  Krishna  "  and  "  Rama  H  ... 

Pranks  of  the  Infant 

The  Tying 

The  Arjuna  Trees 

The  Fruit  Seller 

Vrindavana 

Vatsa 

Baka 

Agha 

Brahma  and  Krishna 

Dhenuka 

Kaliya  Serpent 

Pralamba 

Forest  Conflagration 

Rainy  Season 

Autumn 

Sri  Krishna  and  the  Gopis 

The  Stealing  of  Clothes 

Krishna  and  Vedic  Yajna 

Raising  of  Govardhana  and  the  Installation 

Krishna  and  Varuna 

Rasa 

Sudarsana 

Sankha  Chuda 

Separation  Song 

Arishta 

Narada  and  Kansa 

Kesi 

Vyoma 

Akrura 

Mathura 

The  Wrestling 

Death  of  Kansa  ...       f 

The  Thread  Ceremony  and  Brahmacharya 

Uddhava  and  Vraja 

Thoughts  on  the  Vrindavana  Lila 


251 

252 

253 
254 

255 
255 
256 

257 
257 

258 
258 

259 
259 

260 
260 
263 
263 
265 
265 
265 

266 
266 
268 
268 
270 
272 
272 

279 
280 
280 
280 
281 
281 
282 
282 
283 
284 
285 
286 
287 
289 


[    5     ] 
MATHURA  LILA. 

The  Hunch-backed  Girl  and  the  Pandavas  ...  ...  316 

Jarasandha,  Yavana  and  Dvaraka       ...  ...  ...  317 

Muchukunda                       ...                 ...  *...  ...  318 

DVARAKA   LILA. 

Rukmini           ...                 ...                 ...  ...  ...  319 

Pradyumna      ...                 ...                 ...  ...        ,         ...  321 

Syamantaka,  Jambavati  and  Satyabhama  ...  ...  322 

Syamantaka,  Akrur,  Kritavarman  and  Sata  Dhanu  ...  323 

The  Other  Wives  of  Sri  Krishna         ...  ...  ...  324 

Krishna  and  Rukmini        ...                 ...  ...  ...  326 

The  Sons  of  Krishna         ...                 ...  ...  ...  326 

Death  of  Rukmin               ...                 ...  ...  ...  329 

Bana                  ...                 ...                 ...  ...  ...  329 

Nriga  ...  ...  331 

Balarama  and  the  Yamuna                   ...  ...  ...  331 

Paundraka  and  the  King  of  Kasi        ...  ...  ...  332 

Dvivid              ...                 ...                 ...  ...  ...  332 

Samba,  LakshanA  and  Balarama         ...  ...  ...  333 

Narada  and  the  Wives  of  Sri  Krishna  ...  ...  333 

The  Raja  Suya  and  Jarasandha           ...  ...  ...  334 

Sisupala            ...                 ...                 ...  ...  ...  337 

Duryodhana                        ...                 ...  ...  ...  339 

Salva                ...                ...                 ...  ...  ...  339 

Dantavakra  and  Viduratha                   ...  ...  ...  340 

Balarama  and  Romaharshana               ...  ...  ...  341 

Sridaman         ...                 ...                 ...  ...  ...  342 

Meeting  at  Kurukshetra    ...                 ...  ...  ...  343 

Vasudeva,  Devaki  and  their  dead  sons  ...  ...  346 

Arjuna  and  Subhadra        ...                 ...  ...  ...  347 

Srutadeva  and  Bahulasva                      ...  ...  ...  347 

Prayer  of  the  Srutis           ...                 ...  ...  ...  348 

Brahmana  Boys  restored  to  life            ...  ...  ...  350 

The  Line  of  Krishna         ...                 ...  ...  ...  351 

Thoughts  on  the  Dvaraka  Lila            ...  ...  ...  352 

SKANDHA  XI. 

•^ 

The  Mushala   ...                 ...                 ...  ...  ...  365 

The  Bhagavata  Path           ...                 ...  ...  ...  365 


[    6    ] 

Krishna  and  Wdhava  •••  37 1 

Self-Instruction  •-•                                     •••  374 

Atma— a  Refutation  of  the  School  of  Jaimini      ...^  ...  377 

Bondage  and  Liberation    ...  ...                                    •••  383 

Sadhu  and  Bhakti 

Why  give  up  all  Karma     ...  ...                •••                •••  3^8 

TheGunas       ...  —  39O 

How  to  withdraw  from  the  objects  of  the  Senses...  ...  39 1 

Bhakti  Yoga    ...  —394 

Meditation        ...                 ...  •••                 --395 

TheSiddhis     ... 

The  Vibhutis  ... 

Varna  and  Asrama  Rules  ...  •  >•  39$ 

What  one  is  to  do  for  Moksha  ...                 —                 ..-398 

TheSadhanas... 

The  Three  Paths 

Right  and  Wrong  •••  4O4 

TheTatvas      ...                 —  —                                     '"  4°( 

Prakriti  and  Purusha         ...  •••                ...                ...  4°°" 

Re-Incarnation                   ...  —                 •••                •••  4°7 

Sankhya           ...  •••                                    '"  4I° 

Satva,  Rajas  and  Tamas    ...  ...                                     •••  4I2 

Company 

Kriya  Yoga  and  Idol  Worship  ...                 —  4H 

JnanaYoga      ...  ...                                     •••  4'5 

Bhakti  Yoga    ... 

The  End          ...                ...  •••                                   "•  4^7 

SKANDHA  XII. 

End  of  Kali    ...                ...  —  4I9 

Pralaya             ...  ...  421 

Thoughts  on  Pralaya        ...  —                                  •••  423 


A  STUDY  OF  THE  BHlGAVATA 


OR 
ESOTERIC  HINDUISM. 


THE  IDEAL  OF  BHAGAVATA  PURANA. 

A  DISCOURSE  BETWEEN  VYASA  AND  NARADA. 

"I  have  duly  respected  the  Vedas,  the  teachers  and  the  sacrificial 
fire,  I  have  put  the  sense  of  all  the  Vedas  into  the  Mahabharata  and 
have  made  their  sacred  lore  accessible  to  all  classes  of  men.  I  have 
done  all  this,  nay,  much  more.  Still  I  think  my  work  is  not  fully  done." 
So  thought  Veda  Vyasa,  the  adept  author  of  the  Kali  Yuga,  while 
meditating  on  Mie  sacred  banks  of  the  Sarasvati,  and  his  heart  became 
heavy  with  something,  he  knew  not  what.  At  this  time  Narada  ap 
peared  before  him — Narada,  who  knew  all  that  transpired  in  the 
Triloki  and  who  could  enter  into  the  hearts  of  all  beings.  "Thou  hast 
fully  known,"  said  Narada,  "all  that  is  knowable,  for  thou  hast  written 
the  excellent  Mahabharata,  which  leaves  nothing  unsaid.  How  is  it 
then  thou  feelest  dispirited  as  if  thy  object  were  not  gained  ?"  What 
could  Vyasa  say  in  reply  ;  he  only  inquired  from  the  seer  Narada  the 
cause  of  his  uneasiness. 

Narada  entered  into  a  free  criticism  of  the  Bhagavat  Gita,  the 
philosophical  portion  of  the  Mahabharata,  pointed  out  its  shortcomings 
and  suggested  to  Vyasa  what  next  to  do.  A  few  remarks  will  be 
necessary  to  understand  all  this. 

There  are  seven  planes — BhOr,  Bhuvar,  Svar,  Mahar,  Jana,  Tapas 
and  Satya. 

Bhur  is  the  terrestrial  plane. 

Bhuvar  is  the  astral  plane. 

Svar  is  the  plane  of  Kama  and  desires. 

These  three  planes,  collectively  -known  as  Triloki,  are  the  planes 
of  personality.  Kama  is  the  guiding  principle  of  existence  in  Triloki, 
and  a  recurrence  of  births  and  re-births  its 'main  characteristic.  With 
every  Night  of  Brahma,  this  triple  plane  comes  to  an  end,  transferring 


t  a  ] 

its  energies  to  the  next  higher  plane,  and  is  re -born  with  every  Day  of 
Brahma.  Mahar  is  intermediate  between  Triloki  and  the  three  higher 
Lokas  of  Universality. 

The  Vedic  school  laid  great  stress  on  communion  with  the  Devas 
of  Svar  Loka  or  Svarga  or  Indra  Loka,  and  this  was  pre-eminently 
known  as  Vedic  Yajna.  The  performance  of  Vedic  Yajna  led  only  to 
a  prolonged  gratification  of  kama  in  Svar  Loka.  But  however  long 
the  period  might  be,  it  was  limited  by  the  magnitude  of  the  force 
(Apurva)  which  buoyed  up  the  individuality  in  the  Svar  Loka.  As 
the  Gita  says,  when  the  merits  are  exhausted  the  observer  of  Vedic 
Dharma  enters  again  into  the  transitory  plane.  The  course  of  births 
and  re-births  is  then  set  up  anew,  with  constant  transformations  and 
with  all  the  miseries  of  existence  conditioned  by  personality. 

This  was  not  Mukti  or  liberation.  The  followers  of  the  post-vedic 
or  Upanishad  school  contended  that  liberation  lay  in  crossing  the 
triple  plane  of  individuality  to  the  higher  cosmic  planes  of  universality. 
When  an  individual  reaches  the  higher  planes,  he  does  not  again  be 
come  subject  to  transformations,  and  to  the  constant  recurrence  of  births 
and  re-births.  There  is  one  continued  life,  one  continued  existence  in 
the  higher  planes,  till  the  end  of  cosmos  or  the  Life  of  Brahma.  This 
life  is  not  measured  by  personalities  but  is  the  cosmical  life,  and  the 
individuality  becomes  a  cosmical  entity.  Further  there  is  life  also 
beyond  the  cosmos,  in  the  highest  plane,  the  abode  of  the  Supreme. 

The  Gita  only  incidentally  describes  the  highest  plane  in  the 
following  sloka: — 

"That  is  my  supreme  abode,  by  reaching  which  (Jivas)  do  not 
recur  (to  fresh  births).  Not  the  Sun,  not  the  Moon,  not  even  fire 
illumines  that."— XV.  6. 

Krishna  also  refers  to  that  plane  in  VIII.  20  and  XV.  4.  5. 

The  Gita  lays  down  Nishkama  Karma,  or  the  unselfish  perfor 
mance  of  the  duties  of  life  (Sva-dharma)  as  the  first  step  towards 
reaching  the  higher  planes.  The  sense  of  separateness  is  killed  by 
Nishkama  Karma.  Then  the  Gita  takes  the  disciple  to  Up^sana  or 
communion  with  the  Purusha  of  the  highest  plane,  but  scarcely  a 
glimpse  is  given  of  that  plane  and  its  surroundings.  The  Mahabha- 
rata  does  not  throw  any  light  on  the  dwellers  of  the  higher  planes, 
nor  does  it  give  any  details  of  those  planes.  Without  any  dis 
tinct  prospect  of  trans-Triloki  life,  one  is  asked  to  adhere  to  the  duties 
appertaining  to  one's  own  sphere  of  life  (Sva-dharma)  and  to  perform 
those  duties  unselfishly.  However  transitory  the  things  of  Triloki 


[     3     ] 

may  be,  there  are  attractions  enough  for  the  frail  sons  of  Manu, 
abounding  in  passions  and  desires.  What  can  then  bind  a  man  to  the 
higherplanesandthehighestPurushaoftho.se  planes  or  Bhagavan? 
It  is  only  a  description  of  the  grandeur  and  the  glory  of  those  planes 
and  of  Bhagavan.  Such  description  begets  Bhukti  or  holy  attach 
ment,  and  it  is  this  Bhakti  which  sets  up  a  real  communion  with  Bha 
gavan.  Frail  as  man  is,  the  mere  performance  of  duties  makes  him 
attached  to  them,  unless  he  is  bound  to  the  higher  planes  by  the 
tie  of  holy  attachment.  The  Gita  is  however  silent  as  to  the  attrac 
tions  of  the  higher  planes  and  of  Bhagavan.  This  was  the  defect 
pointed  out  by  Narada. 

"  O  thou  great  Muni,  as  thou  hast  treated  of  Dharma  and  of 
other  things,  so  thou  hast  not  recited  the  glory  of  Vasudeva "  — 
I.  5.  9- 

"  This  universe  is  also  an  aspect  of  Bhagavan,  for  its  creation, 
preservation  and  end  proceed  from  Him.  Thou  knowest  all  this 
thyself.  But  thou  hast  shown  to  others  only  a  portion  of  this 
truth."— i.  5.  2£>. 

"  Salutations  to  Thee,  Bhagavan,  let  me  meditate  on  Vasudeva. 
Salutations  to  Pradyumna,  Aniruddha  and  to  Sankarshana.  He  who, 
by  naming  these  mtirtis  in  the  m&rtiless,  whose  only  mtirti  is  mantra, 
makes  offerings  to  Yajna  Purusha,  is  the  complete  seer."— I.  5.  37-38. 
A  mystery  lies  veiled  in  this  Sloka. 

But  who  is  this  NArada?  Why  should  we  accept  his  authority? 
N^rada  was  therefore  careful  to  give  his  own  account,  elaborated  by 
the  enquiries  of  Vyasa.  All  students  of  occultism  will  do  well  to 
read  carefully  this  account  which  forms  a  fitting  preliminary  to  the 
BMgavata. 


ACCOUNT  OF  NARADA. 
SKANDHA  I.  CHAP.  5  &  6. 


"  In  the  previous  Kal pa,  in  my  'former  birth,  I  was  born  of  a 
certain  maid-servant  of  Vedic  Rishis.  Certain  Yogis  had  collected  at 
a  place  to  pass  the  rainy  season  and  I  was  engaged  as  a  boy  to  serve 
them.  Seei^H  me  void  of  all  fickleness  as  a  boy  and  self-controlled, 


t     4     3 

the  Munis,  who  looked  on  all  with  equal  eyes,  were  kind  to  me,  especial 
ly  as  I  gave  up  play,  followed  them,  served  them  and  talked  little. 
With  the  permission  W  the  regenerated  I  at  one  time  partook  of  the 
remnants  of  their  meal  and  the  impurities  of  my  mind  were  all  removed. 
When  thus  my  mind  became  pure,  my  inclination  grew  towards  their 
Dharma.  By  their  favor  I  heard  them  sing  the  beautiful  stories  of 
Krishna.  Hearing  those  stories  every  day  with  faith,  I  gained  holy 
love  for  Krishna.  Through  that  love  my  mind  became  fixed  in  Him 
and  I  came  to  perceive  my  Sthula  and  Sukshma  bodies  as  only  false 
reflections  of  the  real  Self  or  Brahma.  The  Bhakti  that  grew  up  in 
me  destroyed  my  Rajas  and  Tamas.  Then  when  the  kind  Rishis  were 
about  to  leave  the  place,  they  imparted  to  me  the  most  occult  know 
ledge  which  had  been  given  to  them  by  Bhagavan  himself.  Through 
that  knowledge  I  have  known  the  Maya  of  Bhagavan.  ft  is  by  that 
knowledge  that  one  reaches  the  plane  of  Bhagavan.  As  I  cultivated 
this  occult  knowledge,  Bhagavan  appeared  Himself  and  gave  me  know 
ledge  and  powers  direct." 

[Sridhara  Svami,  the  commentator  of  Bhagavata  Purana  notes 
the  following  points  in  the  above  story — (i)  Seva,  /.  £.,  service  of  and 
attendance  on  Mahatmas,  (2)  their  kripS  or  favor,  (3)  trust  in  their 
Dharma,  (4)  hearing  the  stories  of  Bhagavan,  (5)  attachment  to  Bhaga 
van,  (6)  knowledge  of  Self  by  the  discrimination  of  the  Sthula  and  the 
Sukshma  body,  (7)  firm  Bhakti,  (8)  knowledge  of  the  reality  of  Bhaga 
van,  (9)  at  the  last  the  appearance  of  omniscience  and  other  powers 
through  the  favor  of  Bhagavan.] 

What  followed  then,  inquired  Vyasa  ?     Narada  continued  : — 

"Sometime  after  my  teachers,  the  Bhikshus,  had  gone  away,  my 
mother  died  of  snake-bite.  I  deemed  that  an  act  of  God  and  went 
towards  the  North.  A  Intercrossing  several  forests,  rivers  and  mountains, 
I  at  fast  r&achejd  a  solitary*  forest  and  there  sat  under  a  pipal  tree.  As 
directed  by  my  teachers,  I  meditated  on  self  in  self  through  self.  My 
mind  had  been  completely  conquered  by  Bhakti.  As  I  was  devotedly 
meditating  on  the  lotiis  feet  of  Bhagavan  with  tear-drops  in  my  eyes, 
Hari  gradually  appeared  in  my  heart.  O  Muni,  the  hairs  of  my  body 
stood  on  end  through  exuberance  of  holy  love,  I  was  completely  lost 
in  joy  and  knew  not  either  self  or  any  other.  The  indescribeable  Isva- 
ra  spoke  thus  in  solemn  words  : 

"O  thou  that  dost 'not"  deserve  to  see  me  in  this  life,  I  am  difficult 
to  be  seen  by  imperfect  Yogis,  whose  likes  and  dislikes  have  not  been 


t     5     1 

completely  burnt  up.  I  have  shown  myself  to  thee  that  thy  Kama 
may  all  be  centred  in  me.  When  I  am  the  object  of  KAma,  the 
Sadhu  gives  up  all  other  desires.  By  prolonged  service  of  Mahatmas, 
thy  mind  is  firmly  fixed  in  me.  Therefore  shalt  thou  give  up  this 
faulty  body  and  acquire  my  companionship.  The  mind  fixed  in  me 
is  never  destroyed  in  creation  or  in  pralaya,  nor  does  the  memory 
fail.' " 

"So  saying  Isvara  disappeared.  In  time,  when  I  was  drawn  to 
wards  the  pure  body  with  which  I  was  favored  by  Bhagavan,  the  body 
of  my  five  Bhutas  fell  down  on  the  extinction  of  my  Prarabdha 
Karma.  When  the  Kalpa  came  to  an  end  my  new  body  was  indrawn 
by  the  breath  of  Brahma  who  wast  going  to  sleep.  After  one  thou 
sand  Yuga  Cycles,  when  Brahma  awoke  and  desired  to  create,  I, 
Marichi,  and  other  Rishis  came  out.  Since  then  I  have  invariably  ob 
served  Brahmacharya  and  through  the  favor  of  Vishnu  have  been 
travelling  all  over  Triloki,  both  inside  and  outside,  my  passage 
being  wholly  unobstructed.  The  Devas  gave  me  this  Vin3.  which  is 
adorned  with  Svara-Brahma.  By  playing  upon  this  Vin&  I  send  forth 
songs  of  Hari  all  round.  These  songs  are  the  only  means  of  crossing 
the  ocean  of  recurring  lives." 

[This  is  the  mystery  of  Narada  as  related  in  the  Pur^nas. 
Narada  is  the  repository  of  occult  knowledge  from  the  previous  Kalpa. 
The  first  and  foremost  adept  of  this  Kalpa,  his  mission  is  to  spread 
occult  knowledge,  by  unceasingly  playing  on  the  seven  musical  notes. 
He  is  ever  watchful  and  always  bides  his  time  in  all  cyclic  changes. 
He  is  the  only  Rishi  of  whom  the  Vina  is  a  constant  accompani 
ment,  as  it  is  of  the  goddess  Sarasvati.  His  sphere  of  action  is 
Triloki,  and  the  dwellers  of  Bhur,  Bhuvar,  and  Svar  alike  respect  him. 
He  is  the  universal  counsellor,  even  of  the  highest  Devas  and  of  the 
highest  Rishis.  His  constant  mission  is  the  good  of  the  Universe. 
One  thing  is  said  of  him,  that  he  sometimes  serves  his  purpose  by 
setting  one  against  another  and  amongst  the  ignorant  his  name  is  a 
bye-word  for  quarrel.  However  that  be,  the  greatest  good  of  the 
Universe  in  this  Kalpa  has  been  always  done  by  him.  It  is  under  his 
inspiration,  that  Vaimiki  and  Vyasa  wrote  their  most  occult  works, 
and  his  benign  influence  is  observed  in  all  universal  changes  for  good. 
The  Bhagvata  recites  his  constant  endeavours  to  do  good  and  we 
shall  consider  them  in  detail  hereafter.] 

o: 


t     6     ] 

VIRAT  PURUSHA. 
SK.  I.  CH.  18  &  SK.  II.  CH.  I. 

Vyasa  drew  upon  his  inspiration  and  wrote  the  Bhagavata.  He 
taught  this  Purana  to  his  son,  the  wonderful  Suka.  Suka  did  not 
marry,  as  Rishis  in  his  time  did.  He  left  his  home  and  roamed  about 
the  world  at  large,  stark  naked.  The  separation  was  painful  to 
Vyasa  and  he  went  out  in  search  of  his  son.  While  he  passed  near 
a  tank,  the  Apsarases,  who  were  freely  indulging  in  play,  hastily  drew 
up  their  clothes,  feeling  ashamed.  "  Strange  ! "  exclaimed  Vyasa, 
•'  I  am  old  and  covered.  But  when  my  young  son,  wholly  uncovered, 
went  this  way,  you  remained  unmoved."  And  the  Deva-ladies  replied, 
"  Thy  son  knows  not  man  and  woman,  but  thou  knowest."  This 
exalted  Suka  was  the  worthy  propounder  of  the  Bhagavata  Purana. 

Raja  Parikshit,  son  of  Abhimanyu  and  grandson  of  Arjuna, 
the  successor  of  Raja  Yudisthira  on  the  throne  of  Hastinapura,  forgot 
himself  in  a  fit  of  anger  and  placed  a  dead  serpent  round  the  neck 
of  a  Rishi.  For  this  he  was  cursed  by  the  Rishi's  son  to  meet  with 
untimely  death  at  the  end  of  a  week.  The  Raja  became  penitent 
and  deemed  the  curse  an  act  of  God.  He  prepared  himself  for  death 
and  took  up  his  abode  on  the  sacred  banks  of  the  Ganges  in  company 
with  all  the  Rishis.  The  Raja  asked  what  a  man  on  the  point  of 
death  should  do.  The  Rishis  present  could  not  give  any  satisfactory 
answer.  At  this  time  Suka  appeared,  followed  by  a  host  of  boys, 
who  took  him  to  be  a  mad  man.  Suka  was  then  only  sixteen  with 
long  flowing  hairs  and  well-built  body,  blooming  with  nature's  beauty. 
All  rose  up  as  they  saw  the  very  young  Rishi,  and  gave  him  the  first 
seat.  He  related  the  Bhagavata  Purana  to  Parikshit  in  seven  days. 

The  Raja  repeated  his  question  to  Suka—"  What  is  a  dying 
man,  specially  one  who  desires  to  attain  Moksha,  to  do  ?  What  are 
the  duties  of  men  and  what  are  they  not  to  do  ?  " 

Suka  replied  : — "  A  man  on  the  approach  of  death  is  to  give 
up  all  fear  of  death  and  is  to  cut  off  all  likes  and  dislikes  by  dis- 
passion.  He  is  to  leave  his  house,  bathe  in  pure  water  and  duly  make 
his  Asana  in  some  solitary  place.  He  is  then  to  meditate  on  the 
three  lettered  Pranava  with  mind  concentrated  by  Dharan&  and 
Dhyana  till  he  attains  samddhi.  Jf,  however,  his  mind  gets  distracted 
by  Rajas  and  Tamas,  he  is  again  and  again  to  practise  Dharana." 

"  What  Dharana  is- it  that  speedily  brings  on  concentration  and 
purity  of  mind  ?  "  was  the  next  question. 


[     7     ] 

Suka  replied  : — "  Dh^rana  of  the  Sthula  aspect  of  Bhagavana,  by 
a  fully  controlled  mind."  He  then  went  on  dilating  on  the  Sthula 
or  Universe  aspect,  called  Virat  Purusha  or  Mahapurusha.  The 
present,  the  past,  the  future  is  manifest  in  that  aspect.  The  Virata 
Purusha  is  the  soul  of  an  Egg-like  body  with  a  seven-fold  cover  of 
earth,  water,  fire,  air,  akasa,  Ahankara,  and  Mahat,  respectively. 

Patala  is  His  feet,  Rasatala  His  heels,  Mahatala  His  ankles, 
Talatala  His  legs,  Sutala  His  knees,  Vitala  the  lower  portion  of  His 
thighs,  and  Atala  the  upper  portion. 

Bhur  Loka  is  His  loins,  Bhuvar  Loka  His  navel,  Svar  Loka  His 
breast,  Mahar  Loka  His  throat,  Jana  Loka  His  mouth,  Tapas  Loka 
His  forehead,  and  Satya  Loka  is  the  head  of  the  thousand-headed 
Virat  Purusha.  Indra  and  other  Usra  Devas  (the  world  Usra  mean 
ing,  literally,  a  ray  of  light)  are  his  hands. 

The  Dik  or  space  gods  are  his  ears.  The  twin  gods  Asvini 
Kumara  are  his  nose. 

Agni  is  His  mouth. 

The  firmament  is  His  eyes  and  the  Sun-god  His  sight. 

Day  and  night  are  His  eye-lashes. 

The  graceful  movement  of  His  eye-brows  is  the  abode  of  the 
Supreme. 

Water  is  His  palate,  taste  His  tongue. 

The  Vedas  are  known  as  His  Brahma-randhra. 

Yama  is  His  tusk. 

The  objects  of  affection  are  His  teeth. 

His  enchanting  smile  is  Maya. 

The  endless  creation  is  His  side-glance. 

His  lower  lip  is  shame,  and  the  upper  greed. 

Dharma  is  His  breast.     Adharma  His  back. 

Prajapati  is  His  generative  organ. 

The  Mitra-Varuna  gods  are  His  sense  of  taste. 

The  seas  are  His  belly,  the  mountains  His  bony  system  and  the 
rivers  His  veins  and  arteries. 

The  trees  are  the  hairs  of  the  Universe-bodied. 

The  powerful  wind-god  is  His  breath. 

Time  is  His  movement. 

His  play  is  the  flow  of  Gunas.   > 

The  clouds  are  His  hairs. 

Twilight  is  His  clothing.  J 

Prakriti  is  His  heart. 


[     8     ] 

His  manas  is  the  moon,  which  is  the  source  of  all  transformations. 
Mahat  is  His  Chitta. 
Rudra  is  His  Ahankara. 

Horses,  mules,  camels  and  elephants  are  His  nails. 
All  the  other  animals  are  His  loins. 
The  birds  are  His  wonderful  art. 
He  is  the  abode  of  Manu,  Buddhi  and  Man. 
Gandharva,  Vidyadhara,  Charana  and   Apsaras  are  His  musical 
notes. 

The  Asuras  are  His  strength. 

The  Brahmana  is  His  mouth,  the  Kshatriya  His  hands,  the  Vaisya 
His  thighs,  and  the  black  Sudra  His  feet. 

The  Devas  severally  and  collectively  are  His  havis  or  sacrificial 
ghee,  and  yajna  is  His  karma. 

This  is  Virat  Purusha.  This  is  how  the  Universe-aspect  of 
Purusha  is  realised  in  meditation,  more  as  a  means  of  concentration, 
than  as  the  end.  When  the  mind  is  sufficiently  fixed  by  Dharana  or 
contemplation  of  Virat  Purusha,  it  has  next  to  meditate  on  the  Purusha 
in  the  heart.  ' 


THE  PURUSHA  IN  ALL  HEARTS. 
SKANDHA  II.,  CHAP.  2. 

Some  meditate  within  their  own  body  on  the  Purusha  of  the  size 
of  prddesa  (the  space  of  the  thumb  and  forefinger)  in  the  space  covered 
by  the  heart,  who  dwells  there.  He  has  four  hands  containing 
Sankha  (conch),  chakra  (a  sharp  circular  missile),  Gada  (club)  and 
Padma  (lotus).  His  face  is  smiling,  His  eyes  are  as  wide  as  lotus 
petals,  and  His  cloth  is  yellow  as  the  filament  of  the  Kadamba  flower. 
His  armlets  glitter  with  gems  and  gold.  His  crown  and  earrings 
sparkle  with  brilliant  stones.  Adepts  in  Yoga  place  His  feet  on  the 
pericarp  of  the  full  blown  lotus  in  the  heart.  With  Him  is  Sri 
(Lakshmi).  The  Kaustubha  gem  is  on  His  neck.  He  is  adorned  with 
a  garland  of  ever  blooming  wild  flowers.  His  hair  is  curling  and  deep- 
blue.  His  very  look  is  full  of  kindness  to  all. 

As  long  as  the  mind  is  not,  fixed  by  Dharana,  meditate  on  this 
form  of  Isvara,  with  the  help  of  thy  imagination.  Concentrate  your 
mind  on  one  limb  after  another,  beginning  with  the  feet  of  Vishnu  and 
ending  with  His  smiling  face.  Try  to  grasp  every  limb  in  thought  and 


r  9  i 

then  proceed  to  the  next  -higher.  But  as  long  as  Bhakti  or  Devotion 
is  not  developed,  do  not  fail  to  contemplate  also  on  the  Universe  aspect 
of  Purusha. 


THE  DEATH  OF  THE  YOGI  AND  AFTER. 
SKANDHA  II.,  CHAP.  2. 

When  all  desires  are  controlled  by  meditation,  and  the  Yogi  is 
lost  in  the  contemplation  of  Vishnu,  he  sits  in  proper  posture,  pressing 
his  feet  against  the  anus  and  perseveringly  draws  the  vital  air  upwards 
to  the  six  centres.  He  draws  the  air  in  the  navel  centre  (Manipur)  to 
the  cardiac  plexus,  thence  to  the  plexus  beneath  the  throat  (Visuddha), 
thence  gradually  by  intuition  to  the  root  of  the  palate.  (Sridhara 
Svami  calls  this  last  the  higher  part  of  Visuddha  chakra,  and  remarks 
that  the  vital  air  is  not  displaced  from  that  position.  This  may  be 
called  the  pharyngeal  plexus.)  Thence  he  takes  the  vital  air  to  Ajna 
chakra,  which  fo  situated  between  the  two  eye-brows.  Then  he  controls 
the  seven  holes  (the  ears,  the  eyes,  the  nostrils  and  the  mouth).  He 
then  looks  steadily  for  half  a  Muhurta,  and  if  he  has  not  a  trace  of 
desire  left  in  him  gives  up  the  body  and  the  Indriyas,  passes  out 
through  the  Brahma-randhra  and  attains  the  state  of  Vishnu. 

[It  will  be  noticed  above  that  six  plexuses  are  mentioned  other 
than  the  Sacral  and  the  prostatic. 

In  the  death  of  the  desireless  Yogi,  there  is  no  record  of  there 
after,  for  nothing  is  known  beyond  our  cosmos.] 

"But,  O  king,''  said  Suka,  "if  the  Yogi  seeks  for  the  highest 
cosmic  state  or  for  the  roamings  of  aerial  Siddhas  over  the  whole  of 
cosmos,  in  full  control  of  the  eight  Siddhis,  he  will  then  take  his  Manas 
and  Indriyas  with  him.  It  is  said  that  these  Masters  of  Yoga  can 
move  both  inside  and  outside  Triloki,  for  their  Linga  Sarira  consists 
of  the  atoms  of  air.  The  state  attained  by  those  that  acquire  Samadhi 
by  Upasana,  Tapas  and  Yoga  cannot  be  reached  by  Vedic  Karma. 
In  space  when  the  Yogi  moves  towards  the  Brahma  Loka  or  Satya 
Loka,  he  first  goes  by  means  of  his  Sushumna  Nadi  to  Vaisvanara 
or  the  fire-god  for  the  Sushumna  by  its  light  extends  beyond  the 
body.  His  impurities  being  all  waslied  away,  he  goes  upwards  to 
the  Sisumara  Chakra  of  Hari  (i.e.,  up  to -the  highest  point  of  Triloki, 
as  will  be  explained  afterwards).  Then  crossing  that  Chakra  of 
Vishnu,  which  is  the  navel  of  the  Universe,  he  reaches  the  Mahar 

2 


Loka  with  his  pure  Linga  Sarira.  There1  the  dwellers  of  Svarga 
cannot  go.  Mahar  Loka  is  the  abode  of  Brahmavids,  where  BhrigH 
and  other  adepts  who  live  for  a  whole  Kalpa  dwell, 

"  The  Yogi  remains  in  Mahar  Loka  till  the  end  of  the  Kalpa, 
when,  seeing  the  Triloki  burnt  up  by  fire  from  the  mouth  of  Ananta 
or  Sankarshana,  the  fires  reaching  even  Mahar  Loka,  he  moves  to 
wards  the  abode  of  Paramesthi  (Satya  Loka  or  Brahma  Loka).  This 
highest  Loka  lasts  for  two  Pararddhas  and  is  adorned  by  the  chariots 
of  the  kings  of  Siddhas.  There  is  no  sorrow  in  Brahma  Loka,  no 
infirmity,  no  death,  no  misery,  no  fear  of  any  kind.  But  the  Yogi 
suffers  from  mental  pain  caused  by  sympathy  with  those  that 
suffer  for  their  ignorance  of  the  supreme  state  in  the  recurence  of 
births  with  their  endless  miseries. 

There  are  three  courses  for  those  that  go  to  Brahma  Loka. 
Some  by  the  excellence  of  their  merits  get  responsible  cosmical  posi 
tions  at  the  next  Kalpa.  Others  remain  in  the  Brahma  Loka  till  the 
end  of  the  cosmos  or  Brahmanda.  The  Upasakas  of  Bhagavan 
however  may  at  their  will  pierce  through  the  cosmos  or  Brahmanda 
and  reach  the  trans-cosmic  plane  of  Vishnu.  The  text  goes  on  to 
say  how  this  is  done.  The  cosmos  cansists  of  seven  Patalas  and 
seven  Lokas,  together  forming  the  fonrteen-fold  Bhuvana,  which  ex 
tends  over  50  Krores  of  Yojanas  (i  Yojana  — 8  miles).  Surrounding 
this  is  a  covering  of  the  earthy  principle,  such  as  was  not  used  up  in 
the  formation  of  the  cosmos,  extending  over  one  krore  of  yojanas. 
(According  to  some  this  covering  extends  over  50  krores  of  yojanas.) 
The  second  cover  is  of  water,  extending  over  ten  times  as  much 
space  as  earth,  the  third  of  fire,  the  fourth  of  air,  the  fifth  of  akasa, 
the  sixth  of  Ahankara,  the  seventh  of  Mahat,  each  covering  ten  times 
as  much  space  as  the  one  preceding.  The  eighth  cover  is  Prakriti, 
which  is  all  pervading.  The  Linga  Sarira  of  the  Yogi  in  passing 
through  the  earthy  cover,  becomes  earthy,  through  water  becomes 
watery,  and  through  fire,  fiery.  With  the  fiery  body  he  goes  to  the 
air  cover  and  with  the  airy  cover  to  the  akasa  cover.  He  passes  also 
through  the  Tanmatras  and  senses  them.  He  passes  through  Prana 
Itself  and  becomes  all  action.  Having  thus  crossed  the  Sthiila  and 
Sukshma  coverings,  the  Yogi  reaches  the  sixth  covering  that  of  the 
Transformable  or  Ahankara  Tatva,  which  is  the  absorber  of  the 
Tanmatras  and  of  the  Indriyas.'  Thence  he  goes  to  Mahat  Tatva  and 
thence  to  Pradhana,  where  all  the  Gunas  find  their  resting  place.  Then 
becoming  all  Pradhana  himself  full  of  bliss,  he  attains  with  the  exhaus 
tion  of  all  upddhis  the  trans-cosmic  Atma,  which  is  Peace  and  Bliss. 


These  are  the  two  \i;ays  to  Mukti,  the  one  prompt  and  the  other 
deferred  as  sung  in  the  Vedas. 

[  The  following  Diagram  may  be  of  some  help  in  -Understanding 
the  above : — 


KEY  TO  THE  CIRCLE. 

M'=  Mahat  coyer  1,000,000  Krores  or  50,000,000  Krores  Yojanas. 
A   -  Ahankara  cover  100,000  or  5,000,000  Krores  Yojanas. 
•    =  Ak&a  cover  10,000  or  500,000  Krores  Yojanas. 

T'=  VaJU  C°Ver  100°  °r  5a°00  Krores  Yojanas. 

=  Tejas  cover  100  or  5000  Krores  Yojanas. 
A  =  Ipas  cover  10  or  500  Krores  Yojanas. 
E  =  Earth  cover  1  or  50  Krores  Yojanas. 


: 


S'  =  Satya  Loka 
T  =  Tapas  Loka 
J  =  Jana  Loka 
M  =  Mahar  lo^a 
•'•'       S  =  SvarLoka 

B'  =  Blmvar  Loka 
J5  =  I.hur  Loka 
P  =  Seven  Patalas 


S'  to  P  =  50  Krores  Yojanas. 

A'  to  E  =  Includes  Tanmatras,  Indriyas  and  Prana. 

Prakrit!  surrounds  the  whole  circle.  ] 


[      12      ] 

WHAT  MEN  ARE  TO  DO  AND  WHAT  THEY  ARE 
NOT  TO  DO. 

SKANDHA  II.  CHAP.  3. 

This  was  the  second  part  of  Parikshit's  question,  and  to  this 
general  question,  the  answer  is  also  general.  Those  that  want  divine 
glory  worship  Brahma.  Those  that  want  their  Indriyas  to  be  power 
ful  worship  Indra  and  so  on.  But  those  that  are  desirous  of  Moksha 
must  practise  Bhakti  Yoga  towards  the  supreme  Purusha.  Of  all 
Upasakas,  this  is  the  only  means  of  attaining  supreme  bliss,  unswerv 
ing  Bhakti  or  devotion  to  Bhagavan  and  the  company  of  Bhagavatas, 


:or- 


THE  BH&GAVATA  PURANA  AS  RELATED  BY 
BRAHMA  TO  NARADA. 

SKANDHA  II.  CHAP.  4-6. 

I. — THE  CREATION. 

Parikshit  next  asked  "  How  did  Bhagavan  create^  this  Universe, 
how  does  He  preserve  it,  how  will  He  draw  it  in  ?  What  are  the 
Saktis  by  which  He  manifests  Himself  directly  and  indirectly?  What 
are  His  actions?" 

Suka  replied,  these  were  the  very  questions  asked  by  Narada  of 
his  father  Brahma. 

Brahma  replied  : — Wishing  to  become  manifold,  the  Lord  of 
Maya,  influenced  Kala,  Karma  and  Svabhava,  by  his  own  MayA. 
(Kala  is  the  flow  of  Time  and  is,  according  to  the  Bhagavata  Purana, 
the  Sakti  of  Purusha.  Karma  is  the  adrishta  of  Jiva  or  the  Jiva  re 
cord  of  the  previous  Kalpa.  Svabhava  is  the  essence  of  Prakriti). 
Under  the  influence  of  Purusha,  the  first  disturbance  in  the  equili 
brium  of  the  Gunas  follows  from  Kala,  transformation  follows  from 
Svabhava  and  the  development  of  Mahat  Tatva  follows  from  Karma. 
When  Rajas  and  Tamas  manifest  themselves  in  Mahat  Tatva,  it  is 
transformed  into  Ahankara  Tatva,  with  predominant  Tamas.  Ahan 
kara  Tatva  by  transformation  becomes  threefold. — Satvika,  Rajasika 
and  Tamasika,  i.e.,  Jnana  Sakti  (potency  to  produce  the  Devas), 
Kriya  Sakti  (potency  to  produce  the  Indriyas),  and  Dravya  Sakti 
(potency  to  produce  the  Bhutas),  respectively. 

Tamasa  Ahankara  was  first  transformed  into  Akasa,  AkSsa  into 
VSyu,  Vayu  into  Agni,  A  girl  into  Apas,  and  Apas  into  Prithivi, 
Satvika  Ahankara  was  transformed  into  Manas  and  the  ten  Vaikarika 
Devas, 


[The  Vaikarika  Devas   are  the  Adhidevas   or  the  Energy-giving- 
gods  of  the    ten  Indriyas.     Sensing  is    in  Man    or  Adhi-Atma,  it  is  of 
the  object   or  Adhi-bhuta   and  is  caused  by  Vaikarika  Deva   or  Adhi- 
Deva.     Thus  the  object   seen  is  Adhi-bhuta,   the   sight   is  Adhyatma 
and  the  manifesting  Energy  of  sight  is  Adhideva.] 
The  Vaikarika  Devas  are — 
Dik  for  Hearing  ; 
Vayu  for  Touch  ; 
Sun  for  Sight  ; 
Varuna  for  Taste  ; 
Asvini  Kumaras  for  Smell  ; 
Agni  for  Speech  ; 

Indra  for  Pani  or  action  of  the  hand  ; 
Upendra  or  Vishnu  for  Pada  or  action  of  the  foot  ; 
Mitra  or  Yama  for  Payu  or  excretion  ; 
and  Prajapati  for  Upastha  or  generation. 
Rajasika  Ahankara  was  transformed  into  the  ten  Indriyas. 
[The  foregoing  can  be  shown  in  the  following  table  : — 


PURUSHA. 


Kala  causing 
disturbance 
in  the  equili 
brium  of 
Gunas. 
Svabhava. 

Transfor 
mation 


Karma, 


Details  of  transformation  from 
Mahat  downwards. 

Mahat. 


Ahank^ra. 

I 

Satvika  or 
Vaikarika, 
=  Jnana  Sakti 

Rajasika 
=  Kriya  Sakti. 

The  10  Indriyas. 

T^masika 
=  Dravya  Sakti. 

Akasa. 
Vayu  (air). 
Agni  (fire). 
Apas  (water). 
Prithivi  (earth). 

Manas.         The  10  Vaikarika 
Devas  or 
Adhidevas 

t     14    ] 

This  is  the  Karana  creation  or  the  creation  of  the  materials  of 
the  Individual  creation.  They  could  not,  however,  unite  and  proceed 
further  with  the  work  of  creation.  The  Sakti  of  Bhagavan  then 
permeated  them  and  the  cosmic  Egg  or  Brahmanda  was  formed. 
The  Egg  remained  for  a  thousand  years  unconsciously  submerged  in 
the  primal  waters.  Purusha  then  influenced  Kala,  Karma  and  Svabhava 
to  send  forth  vitality  into  it.  It  is  this  PuruSha  that  emerged  from 
the  Egg  with  thousands  of  heads  and  thousands  of  limbs  and  is 
known  as  Virat  Purusha.  The  seven  Lokas  and  the  seven  Patalas 
are  parts  of  His  body.  This  is  the  first  Avatara,  the  Adi  Purusha 
that  creates,  preserves  and  destroys.  All  the  objects  of  creation  are 
His  Avataras,  or  Saktis  or  Vibhutis.  The  Lila  Avatars  of  Virat 
Purusha  or  special  Incarnations  for  the  preservation  of  the  Universe 
are  detailed  below. 

:o 

II.— PRESERVATION  BY  LILA  AVATARAS. 
SKANDHA  II.  CHAP.  7. 

1.  Varaka — In  order  to  raise  the  Earth  from  Che  waters,  the 
Purusha  adopted  the  body  of  Varaha  or    Boar  and  killed 
with  His  tusks  the  first  Daitya  Hiranyaksha. 

2.  Yajna  was  born  of  Ruchi  and  Akuti.     The  Suyama  Devas 
were  born  of  Yajna.     He  dispelled  the  fears  of  Triloki. 

3  Kapila — was  born  of  Kardama  Prajapati  and  his  wife  Deva- 
huti.     He  taught  Brahma  Vidya  to  his  mother. 

4  Datt&tteya — He  preached  Yoga  to  his  disciples,  who  ac 
quired  powers  and  became  liberated. 

5.  The  Kumdtas. — Sanat   Kumara,  Sanaka,  Sanandana  and 
Sanatana.    They  completely  promulgated  the  Atma  Vidya, 
which  had  been  lost  in  Pralaya. 

6.  Nam  N&rayana. — They  were  born  of  Dharma  and  his  wife 
Murti,  daughter  of  Daksha.     Their  Tapas   was  so  great 
that  the  Deva  ladies  could  not  shake  it. 

7.  Dhruva. — Though  a  boy,   he  could  not  bear  the  words  of 
his   step-mother.     He   went   into   the   forests    and    made 
Tapas.     He  was  rewarded  with  ascent  to  Dhruva  Loka  or 
the  region  of  the  polar  star. 

8.  Prithu. — He  milked  out  riches  and  edibles  from  the  earth. 

9.  Rishdbha. — Rishabha  was  the  son  of  Nabhi  by  Sudevi  or 
Meru  Devi.     Hp  roamed  about  as  Parama  Hansa. 

10.  Hayagriva. — This  horse-headed   Avatara  appeared  in  the 
Vedic  Yajna  and  promulgated  the  Vedas, 


C    is    ] 

4 

tl.  Matsya, — Vaivasvata  Manu  found  out  this  Avatara  at 
the  end  of  a  cycle  of  Yugas.  He  preserved  all  beings 
and  the  Vedas  from  the  waters  of  the  Dduge. 

12.  Kftrma. — At  the  great  churning  of  the   Ocean,  the  Thor- 
toise  Avatara  supported  the  Mandara  mountain. 

13.  Nrisinha. — The  Man-Lion  Avatara  killed    Hiraftya   Ka- 
sipu. 

14.  Hari  saved   the   Elephant   King  of  the  famous  story  of 
Gajenclra  Moksha. 

15.  Vdmana  measured  the  Triloki  by  His  two  steps. 

1 6.  Hansa     related    Bhakti    Yoga,    Guana  and   Bhagavata 

Purana  to  Narada. 

17.  The  presiding  deity  of  each  Manvantara. 

1 8.  Dhanvantati  promulgated  the  science  of  medicine. 

19.  Parasu  Rama  suppressed   the   Kshatriyas  who   became 
disregardful  of  the  Brahmanas  and  the  Sastras. 

20.  Rama  destroyed  Lanka  and  killed  Ravana. 

21.  Rama   and  KrisJina. — The  tenth   Canto   of  Bhagavata 
i$  entirely  devoted  to  their  deeds. 

22.  Vydsa. — He   divided   the  trunk  of  the  Veda  tree  into 
several  branches. 

23.  Buddha. — When   the   Asuras   came  to   know  the  Vedic 
mysteries    and    to    oppress    people,    Buddha    incarnated 
Himself  in  order  to  confound  them   by  preaching   a  va 
riety  of  by-religions. 

24.  Kalki  will  appear  before  the  end   of  Kali   Yuga,   to  set 
things  right. 

Besides  these  Lila  Avataras,  there  are  Maya  Guna  Avataras 
and  Vibhutis  or  Saktis. 

In  creation  these  are  : — 

Tapas,  Brahma,  the  Rishis,  and  the  Nine  Prajapatis. 
In  preservation  they  are  : — 

Dharma,  Vishnu,  Manu,  Devas  and  Kings. 
In  Pralay a  they  are  : — 

Adharma,  Siva,  Serpents  and  Asuras. 

O  Narada,  this  is,  in  brief,  the  Bhagavata  Purana.  You  relate 
it  to  others  in  a  much  more  expanded  form,  so  that  people  may  have 
Bhakti  or  Divine  attachment  to  Bhagavan. 

[THOUGHTS  ON  THE  ABOVE.— The  above  account  of  creation 
relates  to  Triloki  and  to  the  dwellers  of  Triloki.  After  creation,  some 
come  down  from  the  higher  planes  and  hold  responsible  positions  as 


t    i«    1 

we  have  already  seen.  The  Vaikarika  Devas,  who  may  be  identified 
with  the  Vedic  Devas,  are  created  or  rather  manifested  in  the  Trilo- 
ki  before  the  individual  creation.  They  appertain  to  what  the  Purana 
calls  Karana  or  causal  Creation.  The  Vaikritika  Devas  and  Deva  Yo- 
nis,  known  as  Elemental.*?  in  Theosophical  language,  are  created  accord 
ing  to  their  Karrrta  in  the  previous  Kalpa  and  are  subject  to  gradual 
evolution  during  the  Kalpa.  The  Vaikarika  Devas,  however,  remain 
as  they  are  during  the  whole  of- the  Kalpa.  Similarly  the  Devas  of 
the  higher  planes,  e.  g.,  Kumudas,  Ribhus,  Pratardanas,  Anjanabhas 
and  Pratitabhas  of  Mahar  Loka,  Brahma  Purohitas,  Brahma  Kayikas, 
Brahma  Maha  Kayikas  and  Amaras  of  Jana  Loka,  Abhasvaras, 
Mahabhasvaras,  and  Satya  Mahabhasvaras  of  Tapas  Loka  and 
Achyutas,  Siiddha  Nibasas,  Satyabhas  and  Sanjna  Sanjnins  of  Satya 
Loka — these  are  not  affected  by  creation  in  Triloki.  The  dwellers  of 
those  Lokas  other  than  Devas  ,are  also  similarly  not  affected.  The 
story  of  creation  is  a  simple  one.  As  the  Linga  Purana  says,  when 
Earth  is  scorched  up  in  the  summer  season,  it  becomes  fallow  and  the 
roots  of  vegetation  remain  underground.  They,  however,  wait  for  the 
rainy  season  to  germinate  again  and  grow  in  all  the  varieties  of  the 
previous  vegetation.  Similarly  when  the  previous  creation  is  burnt 
up  by  the  fires  of  Pralaya,  the  roots  remain  imbedded  in  Prakriti, 
which  becomes  fallow.  The  fallowness  is  removed  on  the  approach 
of  the  creative  period  or  Kala.  Kala,  according  to  Bhagavata,  is  a 
Sakti  of  Purush  or  the  Unmanifested  Logos.  Then  transformation 
follows  in  Prakriti  according  to  Svabhava  or  the  inherent  nature  of 
Prakriti  and  Karma,  or  the  root-record  of  the  previous  Kalpa  gives 
shape  to  the  transformation. 

Sridhara  Svami  quotes  a  sloka,  which  says  that  there  are  three 
Purusha  manifestations.  The  first  Purusha  is  the  creator  of  Mahat 
and  other  elemental  principles  (Tatvas).  The  Second  Purusha  is  the 
dweller  of  the  Cosmic  Egg.  The  Third  Purusha  is  the  pervader  of 
all  beings. 

Creation  is  divided  into  two  stages.  First  the  creation  of  the 
principles  themselves  or  Tatvas,  which  unite  to  form  globes  and  in- 
dividuals.  This  is  called  Karana  creation.  Secondly  the  creation 
of  individuals  and  of  globes.  This  is  called  Karya  or  resultant  crea 
tion.  Following  the  law  of  periodicity,  the  First  Purusha  energises 
the  latent  Karma  or  Jiva-record  of  the  previous  Kalpa,  and  prepares 
the  ground  for  the  development  of  that  Karma,  by  setting  Prakriti 
into  active  transformation.  /-Tfiis  is  the  First  Life  Wave  which  caused 
the  principles  to  appear  by  themselves.  The  First  Purusha  permeated 
these  principles  as  pure  Atma. 


t     '7    ] 

But  the  principles  coulcl  not  unite  to  make  the  forms,  and  t© 
make  individuals  and  globes.  Purusha,  as  pure  Atma  could  not  guide 
them  further,  as  the  gulf  between  Purusha  and  Prakriti  was  too  wide. 
So  Purusha  had  to  limit  Himself  further,  by  uniting  with  MCUa  Pra 
kriti,  as  one  undivided  whole,  and  so  becoming  the  guiding  principle 
of  all  individual  workings  in  our  universe,  the  pervader  of  all  indivi 
duals  and  globes  as  Atma-Buddhi.  The  Universe  as  a  whole  is 
represented  as  an  Egg,  and  the  Second  Purusha  or  Virat  Purusha  is 
the  soul  of  that  Egg,  Individuals  and  globes  appear  as  germs  in 
that  Egg,  and  are  all  brought  into  manifestation  in  time  by  the  Third 
Purusha  Brahma. 

The  Second  Purusha  is  called  the  First  Avatara  and  the  seed 
and  resting  place  of  all  other  Avataras.  An  Avatara  is  a  highly 
evolved  Jiva,  that  has  attained  the  Logoic  state  and  that  comes  down 
form  his  exalted  position,  to  serve  the  universe.  Why  is  the  second 
Purusha  called  an  Avatara  ?  The  Brihad  Aranyaka  Upanishad  raises 
the  veil  a  little  on  this  point. 

"  This  was  before  Atma,  bearing  the  shape  of  man  (the  first 
born  from  the  Sgg,  the  embodied  soul,  the  Virat  with  heads  and  other 
members  of  the  body)  Looking  round,  he  beheld  nothing,  but  him 
self.  He  said  first  :  '  This  am  I.  Hence  the  name  of  I  was  produced. 

- A  nd  because  Jie  as  the  first  of  all  of  them  consu  med 

by  fire  all  the  sins,  therefore  Jie  is  called  Purusha.  He  verily  consumes 
him,  ivho  strives  to  obtain  the  state  of  Prajapati,  prior  to  Jiim"  San- 
karacharya  explains  the  under-lined  portion  as  follows  : — "  And  be 
cause  he,"  Prajapati  in  a  former  birth,  which  is  the  cause,  as  the  first 
of  those  who  were  desirous  to  obtain  the  state  of  Prajapati  by  the 
exercise  of  reflection  on  works  and  knowledge,  viz,  "  as  the  first  of 
all  of  them,"  of  all  those  desirous  of  obtaining  the  state  of  Praja 
pati, — consumed  by  the  perfect  exercise  of  reflection  in  works  and 
knowledge  all  the  sins  of  contact,  which  are  obstacles  to  the  acquire 
ment  of  the  state  *  of  Prajapati ' — because  such  was  the  case, — there 
fore  he  is  called  Purusha,  because,  he,  pur  (first)  (did)  ush  (burn) 

Therefore  by  the  words  :    "  He  consumes  him," 

it  is  meant,  that  the  perfect  performer  obtains  the  highest  state  of 
Prajapati,  he,  who  is  less  perfect,  does  not  obtain  it,  and  by  no  means, 
that  the  less  perfect  performer  is  actually  consumed  by  the  perfect.  " 

Here  the  word  Prajapati  refers  to  the  Second  Purusha. 
The  state  of  the  Second  Purusha  ,is  the  highest  Achievement  of 
Jiva.  It  is   the    meeting   ground  of  Jiva  ahd  >the    Supreme    Purusha, 
The  Second  Purusha  may  be  different  for  each  Kalpa,  it  may  be  for  each 

3 


t     18     ] 

Brahmanda.  He  is  the  fsVara,  the  Lord  of  our  Universe.  He  holds  the 
whole  creation  unto  His  bosom,  and  is  the  sustaining  force  of  all.  In 
the  three  aspects  of  Brahma,  Vishnu  and  Siva,  he  guides  the  creation, 
the  preservation  and  the  dissolution  of  the  Universe.  Those  that 
could  not  attain  His  state,  though  they  strove  for  it  equally  as 
eminent  as  the  Second  Purusha,  that  are  to  become  the  Second 
Purusha  in  perhaps  another  Kalpa  or  Brahmanda,  are  the  Lila  Ava- 
taras.  They  remain  merged  in  the  Second  Purusha  or  IsVara  and 
they  manifest  themselves  in  the  Universe,  only  when  a  necessity 
arises  for  their  manifestation.  The  Bhagavata  contends  that  of  all 
Lila  Avataras,  only  Krishna  is  Purusha  Himself  the  others  being 
only  partial  manifestations  of  Purusha. 

"  These  are  the  parts  and  aspects  of  Purusha.  Krishna  is 
Bhagavan  Himself."  —  1-3-28. 

Tamas  is  dark,  opaque  and  heavy  on  the  physical  plane,  indo 
lent  and  ignorant  on  the  mental  plane,  non-perceptive  on  the  spiritual 
plane. 

Rajas  is  translucent,  and  constantly  moving  on  the  physical 
plane;  distracted  constantly,  acquiring  likes  and  dislikes,  and  exer 
cising  intellection  on  the  mental  plane  ;  and  partially  perceptive  on 
the  spiritual  plane. 

Satva  is  light  and  transparent  on  the  physical  plane,  cheerful 
and  buoyant  on  the  mental  plane,  and  fully  perceptive  on  the 
spiritual  plane.  True  perception  and  real  knowledge  follow  from 
Satva.  By  partial  understanding  and  semblance  of  knowledge,  the 
results  of  Rajas,  people  become  distracted  and  led  astray. 

Tamas  keeps  down  all  beings  and  enchains  them  to  mater 
iality  in  the  course  of  evolution,  and  there  is  a  point  in  the 
downfall  of  beings  as  well  as  of  globes,  beyond  which  there 
is  a  complete  break-down.  Satva  counter-acts  Tamas  and  the 
preservation  and  improvement  of  the  Universe,  rather  of  Triloki,  there 
fore  mean  the  infusion  of  Satva.  Vishnu  represents  Satva  and  so 
Vishnu  is  the  Preservative  aspect  of  Virata  Purusha.  When  Rajas  and 
Tamas  predominate  in  Triloki,  when  the  lowest  plane  Bhur  be 
comes  heavy  with  Tamas,  the  Lila  Avataras  appear  and  infuse  Satva 
into  the  Lokas. 


SKANDHA  d.t  CHAP.  2-34. 

"This  Preserver  of  Lokas  preserves  the  Lokas  by  means  of 
Satva,  by  incarnating  in  Deva,  Animal,  Human  and  other  kingdoms 
as  Lila  AvaUras, 


[     19     1 

The  Third  Purushr*  is  Brahma  in  Creation,  Vishnu  in  Preserva 
tion  and  Siva  in  dissolution.  Vishnu  as  the  Atmd  in  each  being 
manifests  Himself  in  action  consciousness  and  will.  J  Brahma  is  the 
propelling  power  in  the  Involution  of  beings,  which  gives  them  their 
physical  body.  Vishnu  is  the  propelling  force  in  the  evolution  of 
beings  through  physiological  action  (Prana),  sensation,  intellect,  and 
lastly  the  development  of  the  spiritual  faculties. 


THE  BHAGAVATA  PURANA  AND  ITS  PARTS. 
SKANDHA  II.,  CHAP.  10. 

The  next  question  of  Raja  Parikshit  was  most  comprehen 
sive.  It  related  to  all  knowledge  of  the  Universe  in  all  details. 
In  answering  the  question,  Suka  related  the  whole  of  the  Purana, 
from  beginning  to  end.  In  doing  so,  the  Muni  gave  a  short  intro 
duction  as  to  the  history  of  the  Purina.  When  BrahmS.  re 
gained  his  drowsy  consciousness  at  the  dawn  of  the  present  Kalpa, 
he  knew  not  'how  to  bring  back  the  former  state  of  things.  He 
practised  Tapas.  Then  Bhagavan  appeared  and  related  to  him 
the  Bhagavata  Purana.  Brahma  taught  the  Put  ana  to  his  son 
Narada.  Narada  gave  it  to  Vyasa,  and  Vy^sa  to  his  son  Suka. 

The  Pur&na  has  ten  parts  : — 

1.  Sarga — the  creation  of  the  Bhutas,  Tanmatras,   Indriyas, 

Ahankara   and    Mahat,   or  of  the    materials  that  form 
individuals,  and  the  appearance  of  Virat  Purusha. 

2.  Visarga — the    Individual     creation     by   Brahma    or   the 

creation  of  the  individual  life  forms. 

3.  SthAna — the   preservation    of  the  created  beings  in  their 

own  states  by  Bhagavan. 

4.  Poshana — the  divine  favor  to  those  that  properly   remain 

in  their  own  states. 

5.  Rfanvantara—\\\e  duties  of  the  Rulers  of  Manvantaras. 

6.  Uti — desires  that  bind  one  to  Triloki. 

7.  IsAnukathA — stories  of  tho  Avataras    and  of  the   followers 

of  Hari. 

8.  Nirodha—t\\Q  sleep  of  Hari  and  of  all    individual  souls   a 

Pralaya. 


[       20      ] 

9-     Mukti — the  continued  perception  of  the  identity  of  self  and 
of  Brahma. 

10.     Asraya — The  Final   Resort,    Para  Brahma  or  Paramatma 

from  whom  Creation  and  Dissolution  both  proceed. 
This  brings  us  to  the  end  of  the  Second  Skandha. 


BHAGAVATA  AS  RELATED  BY   MAITREYA  TO 

VIDURA. 

The  Third  and  Fourth  Branches  of  the  Bhagavata  are  related 
by  Maitreya  to  Vidura.  Maitreya  was  the  disciple  of  Parasara, 
father  of  Vyasa.  Parasara  learned  the  Purana  from  Sankhyayana, 
Sankhyayana  from  Sanat  Kumara  and  Sanat  Kumara  from  Ananta 
Deva. 

I.— THE  CREATION 

SKANDHA  III.,  CHAP.  5-6. 

At  Pralaya,  the  Sakti  of  Bhagavan  was  asleep.  That  Sakti 
is  Maya,  which  is  Sat-asat  or  Existing-nonexisting — Existing  eter 
nally  as  root,  and  not  so  existing  as  forms.  Following  the  law  of 
Periodicity  (Kala),  Purusha  fecundated  Maya.  Mahat  and  other 
principles  appeared  by  transformation.  All  these  principles  were 
Devas,  having  in  them  germs  of  consciousness,  action  and  transfor 
mation.  They  could  not  unite  to  form  the  Universe,  being  divergent 
in  character.  They  prayed  to  Isvara  for  power  to  unite.  Taking 
Prakriti  as  a  part  (Sakti)  of  Him,  Isvara  entered  into  the  23  Tatvas  or 
root  principles.  He  awakened  the  Karma  that  remained  latent  in  them. 
By  Kriya  Sakti,  He  then  united  then.  The  23  Tatvas,  acting  under 
Divine  Energy  and  the  impulse  of  Karma  that  had  remained  latent  in 
them,  formed  the  Virat  body,  each  bearing  its  own  share  in  the  work. 
The  Purusha  within  this  body — Virat  Purusha  or  Hiranya  Purusha— 
with  all  beings  and  globes  included  in  Him,  dwelt  for  one  thousand 
years  in  the  waters  (like  the  embryo  in  the  waters  of  the  uterus.)  This 
Embryonic  Purusha  divided  self  by  self,  onefold  by  Daiva  Sakti,  tenfold 
by  Kriya  Sakti  and  threefold  by  Atma  Sakti.  The  onefold  division  is 
in  the  Heart.  The  tenfold  division  is  in  the  Pranas  (Prana,  Apana, 
Samana,  Udana,  Vyana,  Naga,  Kurma,  Krikara,  Devadatta  and 
Dhananjaya,)  for  the  Pranas  are%ot  Tatvas  or  principles,  but  they 
form  an  aspect  of  Purusha.  The  threefold  division  is  Atma  in  every 
being  which  is  triune  with  its  three  sides— Adhyatma,  Adhibhuta  and 
Adhidaiva.  The  Purusha  infused  His  Sakti  into  the  Virat  body, 


[       21       ] 

for  the  development  of  powers  in  the  Tatvas.  The  Adhyatma  mouth 
appeared  with  its  Adhibhuta  speech  and  Adhidaiva  Agni.  Similarly 
the  following  appeared  :  — 

Adhyatma.  Adhibhuta.  Adhidaiva. 

^^  Tongue  .......  .  ........     Rasa  (taste)  ............  Varuna. 

^  Nose  ...................     Gandha(smell)  .........  Asvini  Kti  maras. 

Eye  .....................     R  upa  (sight)  ............  Ad  i  tya. 

Skin  ..................     Sparsa  (touch)  .........  Vayu. 

Ear  ....................     Sabda  (sound)  .........  Dik. 

Epidermis  ............     Sting  .....................  Gods  of  vegetation, 

JJpastha     (genera- 

tiveorgan)  .......     Generation  ..............  Prajapati. 


..................     Secretion  ...............      Mitra 

Hand  .........  .  ........     Actions  of  hand  ......      Indra. 

Pada  (foot)  ..........     Movements  of  foot  ...     Vishnu. 

Buddhi  ...............     Bodh  (deliberation;...     Brahma. 

Manas  ................     Sankalpa  and  Vikalpa 

(true  and  false  per- 
'  ception)    .....  -  ......     Moon. 

Ahankara  ............     Aham  perception  ......     Rudra. 

Chitta  .................     Thought  ...............     Brahma 

The  Triloki  also  appeared,  Svar  from  the  head,  Bhuvar  from 
the  navel  and  Bhur  from  the  feet  With  these  Lokas  appeared  the 
Devas  and  other  beings,  who  are  the  transformations  of  the  Gunas. 
From  the  predominance  of  Satva,  the  Devas  went  to  Svar  Loka. 
Men  and  the  lower  Kingdoms  entered  Bhur  Loka  from  the  predomin 
ance  of  Rajas  in  them.  By  the  predominance  of  Tamas,  the  different 
classes  of  Bhutas  remained  in  Bhuvar  Loka.  The  Brahmana  appear 
ed  from  the  mouth,  the  Kshatriya  from  the  hands,  the  Vaisya  from 
the  thighs  and  the  Sudra  from  the  feet. 

[THOUGHTS  ON  THE  ABOVE,  —  We  have  considered  the  mani 
fested  Logos  in  the  Universe.  We  shall  now  consider  His  mani 
festation  in  Man,  the  microcosm.  The  teachings  are  all  collected 
from  the  Upanishads. 

(i.)  —  The  manifestation  in  the  heart.  —  A  detailed  knowledge  of 
this  manifestation  is  called  Dahara  Vidya  in  Chandogya.  The  Upa 
nishads  speaks  of  Atma  in  the  cavity  pf  the  heart. 


"  Guhahitam  Gahvarestham  Puranam  '    is'  a  well-known   passage 
from  the  Upanishads.     The  Purusha  in  the  heart  is  also  called  Pradesa 


[      22      ] 

or  the  span-sized  Purusha  and  is  the  favourite  object  of  meditation 
in  Pauranika  Upasana.  The  Upanishads  call  Him  thumb-sized  and 
there  is  an  interesting  discussion  as  to  the  size  in  Sariraka  Sutras 
[-3-24  to  26  and  the  Bhashya  thereupon. 

(ii.)  —  The    Manifestation    in     the    P  tanas.—  The     Upanishads 
say  :  — 

^T  JTTT  f^T  Jfi^TT^fr  S1KT  S^rT   I 

"  It  is  this  Prana   that   is   consciousness   itself,    Bliss,   without 
infirmities  and  death." 


"  They  are  these  five  Brahma  Purushas," 
Again 


"  Brahma  Putusha  in  the  openings  of  the  heart."  The  heart  is 
called  the  abode  of  Brahma.  There  are  five  openings  of  this  abode 
of  Brahma  and  there  are  five  gate-keepers.  These  gate-keepers  or 
dvara-palas  are  the  five  Pranas.  They  are  called  Brahma  Purushas  as 
they  pertain  to  Brahma.  As  long  as  the  king  is  in  the  heart,  the  door 
keepers  remain  in  the  body.  These  door-keepers  being  inevitable  ac 
companiments  of  Brahma  in  the  heart,  are  also  themselves  the  outer 
aspects  of  Brahma. 

(iii.)  —  The  manifestation  as  Atma  which  is  ttiune.  What  is  a 
man  but  a  bundle  of  experiences  on  the  planes  of  Jagrat,  Svapna  and 
Sushupti.  Each  of  these  experiences  has  a  threefold  aspect  or  in 
Ved  antic  expression  is  a  Triputi.  These  aspects  are  (i)  the  object 
experienced  or  Adhibhuta,  (2)  the  experience  itself  or  Adhyatma, 
(3)  and  the  Deva  which  gives  the  consciousness  of  that  experience  or 
Adhidaiva.  In  material  expression,  the  object  outside  is  Adhibhuta. 
The  reception  of  its  image  is  Adhyatma.  The  light  that  shews  the 
image  to  be  what  it  is,  is  Adhidaiva.  As  we  have  said,  each  experience 
is  a  three-sided  triangle.  All  the  triangles  in  the  J^grat  state,  analysed 
by  the  Ved^ntins  into  fourteen,  are  represented  by  the  first  letter  a  in 
Pranava.  All  the  triangles  or  Triputis  in  the  dream  state  are  repre 
sented  by  the  second  letter  u.  In  Taraka  Brahma  Yoga,  a  is  merged 
in  contemplation  into  #,  and  u  is  merged  into  ma.  In  ma  there  is 
only  one  triangle,  which  is  the  primary  triangle  to  which  all  other 
triangles  in  a  and  u  may  be  reduced.  The  adhibhuta  side  of  this 
triangle  is  dnanda  by  the  vritti  of  Avidya.  The  Adhyatma  side  is 
the  vritti  of  Avidya.  The  Adhidaiva  side  is  Isvara.  Life  in  Triloki 
is  conditioned  by  this  triangle.  The  object  of  Taraka  Brahma  Yoga 


is  to  cross  the  Triputi,  tp  cross  the  three  letters  of  Pranava.  It  is 
only  in  the  fourth  pada  of  Pranava  that  he  finds  his  resting  place, 
that  pada  being  situated  beyond  the  Triloki. 

The  three  manifestations  of  the  Third  Purusha  in  Jivas  or  in 
dividuals,  may  be  said  to  relate  to  their  different  stages  of  evolution. 
Thus  Prana  manifests  itself  only  in  the  lower  life  kingdoms,  the 
minerals  and  vegetables.  The  Prana  or  life  process  is  more  elaborate 
in  the  vegetables  than  in  the  minerals.  Purusha  then  manifests  itself 
in  the  senses  arid  emotions  in  the  Animal  kingdom  and  in  intellect 
in  the  lower  human  kingdom  the  manifestation  being  three  fold. 

The  last  manifestation  of  Purusha,  the  one-fold  manifestation  in 
the  heart,  is  in  higher  man. 

II. — VASUDEVA   AND    SANKARSHANA. 

SKANDHA  III.,  CHAP.  8. 

When  this  universe  remained  submerged  in  the  waters  of 
JPralaya,  the  eyes  of  Vasudeva  remained  closed  in  sleep.  He  opened 
His  eyes,  lying* down  on  the  Serpent  King  Ananta  or  Sankarshana. 
He  indulged  in  self  and  was  without  action.  Inside  His  body  was 
Bhuta-Sukshma  or  all  beings  in  a  subtle  state  of  latency.  Only 
Kala-Sakti  manifested  itself  and  He  dwelt  in  those  waters  in  self,  as 
fire  remains  in  wood,  with  powers  controlled.  Having  slept  for  one 
thousand  Yuga  cycles  in  the  waters,  with  only  Kala-Sakti  manifesting 
His  work,  He  found  the  lotuses  of  the  Lokas  in  His  body.  He  then 
looked  at  the  Sukshma,  that  was  within  Him.  That  Sukshma  be 
came  pierced  with  Kala — propelled  Rajas,  and  small  as  it  was,  it 
came  out  of  his  navel  region.  By  the  action  of  Kala,  which  awakens 
Karma,  it  suddenly  grew  up  into  a  lotus  bud.  Vishnu  entered  this 
Loka  Padma  or  the  Lotus  of  Lokas.  Brahma  then  appeared  in  that 
Lotus.  He  looked  on  all  sides  and  became  four-faced,  but  he  could 
not  find  out  the  Lokas.  Though  he  was  in  the  Lotus  himself,  con 
fused  as  he  was,  he  knew  not  the  whole  Lotus.  Whence  am  I  ? 
Whence  is  this  Lotus  ?  So  thought  Brahma.  And  he  searched  below 
to  feel  the  lotus-stalk.  The  search  was  vain  for  one  hundred  years. 

For  another  hundred  years  he  meditated  within  self,  and  lo ! 
there  appeared  within  his  heart  one  Purusha  lying  down  on  the  body 
of  Sesha  (the  serpent  king).  (The  description  of  the  Purusha  is  much 
the  same  as  we  have  read  of  tbe  Prddesa  Purusha.  So  it  is  not  given 
here.)  Brahmd  prayed  to  that  Purusha  and  was  told  to  practise  Tapas 
for  acquiring  the  power  of  creation, 


t     24     ] 

III.— THE  CREATION  BY  BRAHMA. 
SKANDHA  III.,  CHAP.  10. 

When  Bhagavan  disappeared,  Brahma,  as  directed,  practised 
meditation  for  one  hundred  Deva-years.  He  found  his  lotus  abode 
moved  by  air.  With  all  the  power  acquired  by  Atma  Vidyd  and 
Tapas,  he  drank  up  all  the  waters  and  the  air  He  found  the  Lokas 
attached  to  the  overspreading  Lotus  and  he  had  only  to  divide  them. 
He  entered  into  the  Lotus  bud  and  divided  it  into  three  parts — the 
Triloki.  This  is  the  creation  of  the  Triloki.  The  higher  Lokas 
(Mahar,  Jana,  Tapas  and  Satya)  are  the  transformations  of  Nishkama 
Karma  or  unselfish  action.  So  they  are  not  destroyed  in  each  Kalpa, 
but  they  last  for  two  Parardhas. 

What  is  Kala,  asked  Vidura,  that  has  been  described  as  a  Sakti 
of  Hart? 

Kdla  is  the  disturber  of  Gunas,  replied  Maitreya,  causing  trans 
formations.  In  itself  k  is  without  any  particularity  and  is  without 
beginning  or  end. 

With  Kala  as  the  Nimitta  or  efficient  cause,  Bhagavan  only  mani 
fested  Himself.  The  Universe  has  no  separate  existence  from  that 
of  Brahma.  It  is  only  Kala  that  makes  the  Universe  manifest. 

The  Creation  of  Brahma  is  ninefold,  Prakrita  and  Vaikrita, 
Prakrita- Vaikrita  being  the  tenth.  The  Pralaya  is  of  three  kinds  : — 

(1)  By  Kala  or  Nitya.     Flow  of  time  is  the  only    cause  of 

this  Pralaya. 

(2)  By  Dravya  or    Naimittika.     Dravya   is   the  fire   from 

the  mouth  of  Sankarshana,  at  the  end  of  one  Kalpa. 

(3)  By  Guna   or   Prakritika,   the   Gunas   devouring   their 

own  actions.     The  forms  of  Pralaya  will  be  consider 
ed  in  the  study  of  the  Twelfth  Branch. 
A, — Prakrita  Creation,  L  e.,   the  Creation  of  Principles  or 

Tatvas. 
I.     Mahat — Which  is  the  out-come  of  the  first -disturbance 

of  the  equilibrium  of  the  Gunas. 
II.     Ahankdra — Dravya  +  Jn^na  +  Kriya. 

III.  Tamndtra — Result  of  Dravya  Sakti. 

IV.  Indriyas — ResuU  of  Jnana  and  Kriya  Sakti. 
V.     Vaikdrika  Devas  and  Manas. 

VI.     The  five-fold  Tamasika  creation. 

B. —  Vaiknta  or  Individual  Creation. 


[      25      ] 

0 

VII.  Utdha  Srottis  or  with  upward  current  of  the  food  taken, 
the  Sthavara  or  Immobile  kingdom  with  six  divi 
sions. 

(1)  Vanaspati — Plants  that  fructify  without  flowers. 

(2)  Oshadhi — Creepers  that  last  till  the  ripening  of  fruits. 

(3)  Latd — Ascending  creepers. 

(4)  TvaksAra — Those  of   which  the  growth  is  not  in  the 

centre,  but  in  the  dermal  regions,  as  bamboos. 

(5)  Vinidh — Non-ascending  woody  creepers. 

(6)  Druma — Flowering  plants. 

The  consciousness  of  all  the  six  classes  is  almost  obscured  by 
Tamas.  They  are  sensitive  only  to  internal  touch.  They  have  many 
peculiarities. 

VIII.  Tiryak-Stotas. — With  slanting  food  current.     The  posi 
tion  of  the  animal  stomach  as  regards  the  animal  mouth  is  such  that 
food  is  not  taken  in   vertically,  but  either  horizontally  or  slantingly. 
The  animal    kyigdom    has   28.  divisions.     The  animals  are  ignorant, 
with  predominating  Tamas,  with  the  sense  of  smell  largely  developed 
in  them  so  much  that  they  mostly  perceive  by  that  sense,  and  with 
the  faculties  of  the  heart  entirely  undeveloped.     The  28  classes  are  : — 

1.  Living  on  the  ground. 
i. — The  cloven-footed. 

(i)  Cow,  (2)  goat,  (3)  buffalo  (4)  krishnasara,  the  spotted 
antelope,  (5)  hog,  (6)  gavaya,  a  species  of  ox,  (7)  ruru, 
a  kind  of  deer,  (8)  sheep,  (9)  camel. 

ii. —  The  whole  hoofed. 

(10)  Ass,  (11)  horse,  (12)  mule,  (13)  goura,  a  kind  of  deer, 
(14)  sarabha,  a  kind  of  deer,  (15)  chamari,  a  kind  of 
deer. 

iii. —  The  Jive-nailed. 

(16)  Dog,  (i 7)  jackal,  (18)  wolf,  (19)  tiger,  (20)  cat,  (21) 

hare,  rabbit,  (22)  porcupine,  (23)  lion,  (24)  monkey,  (25) 

elephant,  (26)  tortoise,  (27)  alligator. 

2.  (28)  Aquatic  animals  anc>  birds. 

IX.  Arvdk-Srotas  or  with  downward  food  current,  the  Human 
kingdom  with  predominant  Rajas,  given  to  ICcJrma,   mistaking  misery 
for  happiness. 

4 


[     "26      ] 

C—Pr&krita-  Vaikrita. 

X.  The  Kumatas.  The  Kumara  creation  is  partly  Prakrita 
and  partly  Vaikrita. 

Besides  these,  there  is 

D. — Vaikrita  Dev  Creation. 

There  are  eight  divisions  of  Vaikrita  Devas  : — 

(1)  Vivudha, 

(2)  Pitri, 

(3)  Asura, 

(4)  Gandharva  and  Apsara, 

(5)  Siddha,  Charana  and  Vidy^dhara, 

(6)  Yaksha  and  Raksha, 

(7)  Bhuta,  Preta  and  Pisacha, 

(8)  Kinnara,  Kimpurusha,  Asvamukha  and  others. 

The  Vaikarika  and  Vaikrita  Devas  form  one  class. 

[THOUGHTS  ON  THE  ABOVE.} 

Prdkrita  creation  is  that  which  gives  rise  to  and  is  connected 
with  all  individuals.  Excepting  the  Tamasic  or  Avtdya  creation, 
which  we  shall  consider  later  on,  the  other  divisions  of  this  creation 
were  caused  by  the  first  life  impulse,  given  by  the  First  Purusha.  The 
Tamasic  creation  was  brought  into  manifestution  by  the  Third 
Purusha  Brahma. 

The  division  of  the  life-kingdoms  according  to  the  movements 
of  the  food  taken  is  peculiar  to  the  Pauranic  system.  It  will  be 
interesting  to  know  from  the  physiological  stand-point  whether  it  is 
necessary  for  the  development  of  the  brain  that  the  spinal  column 
should  be  erect,  whether  it  is  necessory  for  the  formation  of  the  spinal 
column,  that  the  stomach  should  retain  a  certain  position,  and  to 
know  also  how  far  the  fixture  of  the  plants  is  an  impediment  to  the 
development  of  any  nervous  system  in  them. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  mineral  kingdom  is  not  mentioned  as 
a  distinct  life-kingdom.  The  reason  appears  to  be  that  the  creative 
process  is  divided  into  two  periods.  In  the  first  period  formless  Jivas 
take  form  after  form,  till  the  lowest  material  form  is  reached.  This 
is  elemental  creation  or  the  creation  of  Devas,  as  described  in  detail  in 
Ch.  XXI.  Sk.  IV.  The  Purana  goes  on  to  say  :— "  Then  Brahma 
created  the  Manus."  'i  1^-24-49.  The  Manu  creation  shews,  how 
mind  was  gradually  developed  through  Vegetable,  Animal  and  Hu- 


[      27      ] 

man  creations,  out  of  the  Mineral  Kingdom,  represented  by  the  Moun 
tain  Chief  Himalaya.  The  giving  up  by  Sati,  of  the  body  acquired 
from  Daksha  and  her  rebirth  as  the  daughter  of  the  Mountain  King 
show  how  the  elemental  creation  gave  way  to  a  fresh  creative  process, 
which  took  its  start  from  the  Mineral  Kingdom. 

The  Kumaras  form  a  peculiar  creation.  "They  are  Prakrita  in  as 
much  as  they  partake  of  the  character  of  Devas  and  they  are 
Vaikrita,  as  they  partake  of  the  character  of  men."  Sridhara. — The 
great  commentator  also  says  : — "  Sanaka  and  other  Kumaras  are  not 
created  in  every  kalpa.  The  account  of  their  creation  is  only  given 
in  the  first  Kalpa,  called  Brahma.  In  reality,  the  Vegetable  and 
other  life  kingdoms  are  created  in  every  Kalpa.  Sanaka  and  others 
being  created  in  Brahma  Kalpa  only  follow  the  creations  in  other 
Kalpas," 

Upon  death,  men  go  to  Bhuvar  Loka,  where  they  become  Bhu- 
tas,  Pretas  and  Pisachas.     Then  they  go  to    Svar  Loka,     where  they 
become  Devas,  not  the   Devas  of  Deva  creations  but  only  temporary 
Devas.     When  their  merits    are  exhausted,  they   come   down    upon 
earth,   to   begin  life   as   msn    again.      But    if    by  unselfish    Karma 
and  devotion,  men  pass  across  the  limits  of  the   triple    plane,  they 
go    first  to    Mahar  Loka.     Here    they  are  called  Prajapatis.     Bhrigu 
and    other   Prajapatis    who   are   the    ordinary    dwellers    of    Mahar 
Loka,   are   described  in    one   sloka    of    Bhagavata,   as   bearing  the 
life  period    of    one    Kalpa.     (II.    2.  25).     In    the   next   sloka   it   is 
said  that  the  Yogins  who  go  to    Mahar    Loka,   remain    there  till  the 
end  of  the  Kalpa,  when  at  last  they  go  to  Satya  Loka. 

But  in  another  sloka,  the  Purana  says  : — "  When  the  night  of 
Pralaya  follows,  the  three  Lokas,  Bhur,  Bhuvar  and  Svar,  are  burnt  by 
the  fire  from  the  mouth  of  Sankarshana.  Troubled  by  the  excessive 
heat  of  that  fire,  Bhrigu  and  others  proceed  from  Mahar  Loka  to 
Jana  Loka."  I II- 11-30. 

This  shews  that  the  dwellers  of  Mahar  Loka  live  for  the  life 
time  of  Brahma  or  two  Parardhas. 

This  is  also  made  clear  by  the  following  commentary  of  Sridhara 
on  IH-io-9:— 

" Why  did  Brahma  make  the  three  Lokas  into  one  division? 
This  Triloki  consisting  of  Bhur,  Bhuvar  and  Svar — is  the  place  that 
is  to  be  made  in  every  Kalpa  or  day  of  Brahma  for  the  enjoyment  of 
Jivas  (or  individuals).  But  Jivas  dwell  in  the  higher  Lokas  as  well.  Why 
are  not  those  Lokas  created  then  in  every  Kalpa  ?  This  is  because  they 


[    23    ] 

are  the  transformations  of  unselfish  (Nishka<ma)  action  or  Dharma— 
the  Lokas  themselves  and  the  dwellers  thereof.  The  Triloki  and  the 
dwellers  thereof  are  the  transformations  of  selfish  (Kamya)  action. 
Therefore  they  have  birth  and  death  in  every  Kalpa.  But  Mahar  and 
other  Lokas  are  begotten  by  unselfish  action  heightened  by  UpasanS 
(or  devotion),  and  they  last  for  two  Parardhas,  which  is  the  life  time 
of  Brahma.  And  the  dwellers  of  those  Lokas  generally  attain  mukti 
(or  liberation)  after  that  period." 

The  ordinary  dwellers  of  Jana  Loka  are  the  Kumaras.  When 
men  in  course  of  evolution  reach  Jana  Loka,  they  become  Kumaras. 

We  have  already  seen  that  the  essence  of  life  in  the  higher 
Lokas  is  unselfishness.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  Gita  speaks  of 
unselfish  action  in  the  first  instance  as  an  essential  requisite  of  spiri 
tual  life.  But  it  is  not  unselfish  action  alone  which  enables  us  to  get 
rid  of  our  personal  desires  and  to  assimilate  ourselves  with  that  one 
life  which  pervades  all.  Devotional  love  is  another  equally  essential 
requisite. 

It  is  impossible  for  us  to  realise  the  different  experiences  in  the 
four  higher  Lokas. 

The  famous  Brahma  Sukta  has  the  following  line: — "The  three 
feet  of  fsvara,  bearing  eternal  happiness  in  the  higher  Lokas/'  The 
eighteenth  Sloka  in  Chapter  VI.  of  the  Second  Skandha  is  an  expo 
sition  of  this  line.  Sridhara  has  the  following  commentary  on  that 
line  : — 

"  Happiness  in  Triloki  is  fleeting  and  temporary.  Though 
Mahar  Loka  is  on  the  path  of  liberation,  the  dwellers  of  that  Loka 
have  to  leave  it  at  the  end  of  every  Kalpa.  The  happiness  there  is 
therefore  not  ever-lasting.  In  Jana  Loka,  the  happiness  is  ever-last 
ing,  as  long  as  the  dwellers  do  not  leave  the  place.  But  they  have  to 
witness  the  miseries  of  the  dwellers  of  Mahar  Loka,  when  they  come 
to  Jana  Loka,  at  the  end  of  the  Kalpa.  In  Tapas,  there  is  absolute 
want  of  evil.  In  Satya,  there  is  freedom  from  fear  or  liberation." 

We  have  left  the  Devas  (not  the  elementals  that  pass  through 
the  life  kingdoms  of  this  earth)  out  of  consideration.  Their  evolution 
is  worked  out  in  all  the  seven  Lokas.  Their  names  and  characteristics 
in  each  Loka  are  given  by  Vyasa  in  his  commentaries  on  Patanjali's 
Sutras.  Those  who  are  ordinarily  known  as  Devas  are  the  dwellers  of 
Svar  Loka.  The  Deva  Yonis  or  lower  Devas  are  dwellers  of  Bhuvar 
Loka  and  Bhur  Loka.  Men  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  Devas  of 
the  higher  Lokas.  The  Devas  of  Triloki  are  indifferent,  friendly  or 


t  29  ] 

inimical  to  men.  Left  alone,  they  do  not  interfere  with  men.  But 
when  men  try  to  gain  superiority  over  them,  by  the  acquisition  of 
Brahma  Vidya,  they  try  to  throw  obstacles  in  their  way* 

The  Brihad  Aranyak  Upanishad  says  : — "  Even  the  gods  verily 
are  not  able  to  prevent  him  from  the  possession  of  the  state  of  all." 
I.-4-IO 

Again,  "  As  verily  many  beasts  maintain  a  man,  so  every  man 
mantains  the  gods.  It  is  not  pleasant,  even  if  one  beast  is  taken 
away,  how  then,  if  many?  Therefore  it  is  not  pleasant  to  them, 
that  men  should  know  this  i.e.  the  truth  of  the  nature  of  Brahma." 
Commenting  on  this,  Sankaracharyya  quotes  a  Sloka  from  Anugita  : — 
"The  world  of  the  gods  is  surrounded  by  performers  of  works.  But 
the  gods  do  not  wish  that  mortals  should  abide  above." 

Sankaracharyya  goes  on  to  say  : — "  Therefore  the  gods  try  to 
exclude,   like  cattle  from  tigers,   men  from  the  knowledge  of  Brahma 
as  it  is  their  desire,  that  they  should  not  be  elevated  above  the  sphere 
of  their  use.     Whom  they   wish   to  liberate,  to  him  they  impart  belief 
&c.,  and  unbelief  to  him  whom  they  wish  not  to  liberate." 

Ananda  Giri,  the  commentator  of  Sankaracharyya,  quotes  the 
following  Sloka : — 

"  Devas  do  not  protect  men,  rod  in  hand,  like  cattle-keepers. 
When  they  wish  to  protect  a  man,  they  impart  the  necessary  in 
telligence  to  him." 

Nothing  is  said  in  the  Puranas,  as  to  Devas  of  the  higher 
Lokas. 

The  Prakrita  Devas  are  intimately  connected  with  our  senses 
and  intellect.  It  is  through  their  direct  help,  that  we  are  able  to  per 
ceive  and  to  conceive.  Hence  they  are  called  Adhi-devas  or  Vaikaric 
Devas.  They  are  not  individuals  and  the  remarks  made  above  as  to 
Devas,  do  not  apply  to  them. 

IV.— DIVISIONS  OF  KALA. 
SKANDHA  III.  CHAP.  n. 

The  unit  of  Kala  at  the  Sukshma  pole  is  Paramanu,  which  is 
the  minutest  part  of  the  created  tning,  not  united  to  form  a  body. 
At  the  Sthula  pole  is  the  whole  Sthula  creation  known  in  its  entirety 
as  Parama  Mahat.  The  time  during  which  the  Sun  crosses  in 
his  orbit  one  paramanu  is  the  Kala  unit  paramanu.  The  time 


f     30    } 

during  which  he  crosses  the  whole  system  in  his  orbit,  /.  £.,  cross 
es  all  the  twelve  signs  of  the  Zodiac,  is  Parama  Mahan  or  one 
Samvatsara.  ,The  units  of  time  and  space  are  thus  the  same. 

I   Dvyanuka  ...      =      2  Paramanus. 

I  Trasarenu  ...      „      3  Paramanus. 

i  Truti  ...      „      3  Trasarenus. 

I  Vedha  ...      „  100  Trutis. 

I  Lava  ...      „      3  Vedhas, 

I   Nimesha  or  wink   ...      „      3  Lavas. 

i   Kshana  ...      „      3  Nimesha. 

I   Kastha  ...      „      5  Kshanas. 

i  Laghu  ...      „    15  Kasthas. 

I   Nadika  ...      „     15  Laghus. 

i   Muhurta  ...      „      2  Nadikas. 

i  Yama  or  Prahara  ...      „      6  or  7  Nadikas. 

i  Ahoratra  (of  the  Mortals),,     8  Yamas. 

I   PakshafSukla  or  Krishna)  15   Ahoratras. 

i   Mask  (Month)  „      i   Sukla+ i  Krishna  Paksha. 

i   Ritu  ...      „      2  Masas.  * 

i   Ayana  ...      „      6  Masas  (Uttara  or  Dakshina.) 

i  Vatsara  ...      „      2  Ayanas. 

„  ...      „    12  Masas. 

„  ...      „      i   Ahoratra  of  Devas. 

I   Samvatsara  ...      „      I  year  of  Solar  months. 

i  Parivatsara  ...      „      I  year  of  Jupiter  months. 

i   Idavatsara  ...      „      I  year  of  Savana  months. 

i  Svanuvatsara          ...      „      I  year  of  Lunar  months, 

i  Vatsara  ...      „      I  year  of  Steller  months. 

One  hundred  Samvatsaras  is  the  maximum  age  of  men. 

Satya,  Treta,  Dvapara  and  Kali — a  cycle  of  these  4  Yugas 
and  their  Sandhyas  and  Sandhyansas — consist  of  12  thousand 
divine  years. 

The  beginning  of  a  Yuga  is  its  Sandhya.  Tho  end  of  a  Yuga 
is  its  Sandhyansa.  Sandhya  and  Sandhyansa  are  not  included  in  a 
Yuga  and  Yuga  Dharma  is  not  to  be  performed  while  they  last. 

Sandhya  of  Satya  Yuga  ^        ...  =                400  Deva  years. 

Satya  Yuga  ...  „  4,000  „  „ 

Sandhyansa  of  Satya  Yuga  ...  „  400  „  „ 

Sandhya  of  Treta  Yuga  ...  „  300  „  „ 

Treta  Yuga  ...  „  3,000      „ 


V 

C    3i     ] 

Sandhy&nsa  of  Treta  Yu.ga  ...  „ 

Sandhya  of  Dv^para  Yuga  ...  „ 

Dv^para  Yuga  ...  „ 

Sandhyansa  of  Dvapara  Yuga  ...  „ 

Sandhya  of  Kali  Yuga  ...  „ 

Kali  Yuga  ...  „ 

Sandhyansa  of  Kali  Yuga  ...  „ 

12,000  Deva  years. 

Dharma  is  enjoined    for  the  period  between  Sandhya  and  San 
dhyansa,  which  is  called  Yuga. 

Dharma  has  all  the  4  padas  or  feet  in  Satya 
„  ,.        only  3  padas  in  Treta, 

„  „        only  2  padas  in  Dvapara, 

„  „        only  I  pada  in  Kali. 

1,000  Yuga  cycles  is  one  Day  of  Brahma  or  one  Kalpa, 
.     i.e.,  I  Day  of  Brahma   =    1,000   X    12,000  Deva  years, 

=    1,20,00,000  Deva  years. 

An  equal  .period  of  time  is  also  reckoned  as  one  Night  of  Er  ihma. 
14  Manus  reign  during  the  Day  of  Brahma,  each  Manu  reigning  for 

1,000 


i.  £.,  a  little  over  71  Yuga  Cycles.     [Converted  into  Deva  years  :  — 

12,000  x  1,000  6 

I  Manvantara  =  --  =  8,57,142  -  Deva  years. 

H 
i  Deva  year  =  360  Lunar  years. 

12,000,000  x  360 
.'.  i  Manvantara  =  -  —  =  3,37,142,657^  Lunar  years.] 

H 
The  Manvantaras  have  their  Manus,  successors  of  Manus,  Rishis 

and  Devas. 

The  Rishis,  Indras,  and  Devas  appear  together. 

In  the  daily  creation  of  Brahma,  Animals,  Men,  Pitris  and 
Devas  are  born  according  to  their  own  Karma. 

During  the  Manvantara,  Bhagavan  preserves  this  universe  by  His 
own  Satva,  directly  as  Manvantara  Avataras  and  indirectly  as  Manus 
and  others.  When  Pralaya  approaches,  Bhagavan  withdraws  His 
Saktis  (or  powers).  Triloki  is  then  burnt  up  by  fires  from  the  mouth 
of  Sankarshana.  Bhrigu  and  other  dwellers  of  Mahar  Loka  proceed 
to  Jana  Loka,  The  waters  of  Pralaya  sweep  away  everything  before 


i  32  i 

them.     In  that  watery  expanse,  Hari  remajns   seated  upon    the  coils 
of  Ananta,  with  His  eyes  closed. 

With  every  Day  and  Night,  the  age  of  Brahma  declines.  He 
lives  for  one  hundred  years  only.  Half  of  Brahma's  age  is  called 
Pararddha.  The  first  Pararddha  has  expired,  the  second  has  com 
menced  with  our  Kalpa,  Every  day  of  Brahma  is  called  one  Kalpa. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  first  Pararddha  was  Brahma  Kalpa, 
when  Brahma  or  the  present  Kosmos  was  born; 

At  the  end  of  the  first  Pararddha  was  Padma  Kalpa,  when  the 
Loka-Padma  (the  lotus  of  Lokas)  appeared  at  the  navel  of  Hari. 

The  first  Kalpa  of  the  second  Pararddha,  which  is  the  present 
Kalpa,  is  called  Varaha  Kalpa.  Hari  incarnated  as  Varaha  or  Boar 
during  this  Kalpa. 

The  two  Pararddhas  are  but  a  wink  of  Bhagavan.  Kala  can 
not  measure  him. 

[  i  Day  of  Brahma    =  12,000,000     Deva  years, 

i  Night  of  Brahma  =  12,000,000  Do. 

— — ________  v 

24,000,000  Do. 

Multiplying  by  360 


i  year  of  Brahma    =  8,640,000,000     Deva  years. 

Multiplying  by  100 

Age  of  Brahma       =         864,000,000,000     Deva  years. 
Multiplying  by  360 

31,10,40,00,00,00,000     Lunar  years. 

I  Kali  Yuga,  including  Twilight   (Sandhya  and    Sandhyansa) 
=   1,200  x  360  =  4,32,000  Lunar  years. 

Varaha  Kalpa  =  50  X  360+1  =  18000 1st  Kalpa. 
The  present  is  the  seventh  Manvantara  of  that  Kalpa. 
'The  present  Kali  Yuga  is  the  28th  Yuga  of  that  Manvantara 
and  4,994  years  of  that  Yuga  have  expired  in  the  present  year  of 
Christ  1894.] 

[  THEOSOPHICAL   CORRESPONDENCES.— -The  words  Kalpa  and 
Manvantara  are  carelessly  used    in   Theosophical    literature.     But  I 
shall  use  those  terms,   specially   with   reference   to  page  309  of  the 
second  volume  of  the  Secret  Doctrine  (first  edition.) 
I  Kalpa     =  7  Rounds, 
i  'Round    =  2  Manvantaras, 


[     33     ] 

The  Pralaya  at  the  e/id  of  seven  Rounds  therefore  means  the 
Pralaya  of  Triloki. 

The  last  Globe  Chain  of  which  the  Moon  formed  a  /iving  planet 
belonged  to  Padma  Kalpa.  Our  Globe  D  is  the  iSooist  since  the 
birth  of  the  Kosmos.  There  will  be  17999  more  such  Globes,  one 
after  each  Pralaya  of  Globe  Chains.  There  will  be  18000  more 
Pralayas  of  the  Globe  Chain.  Then  there  will  be  a  general  dissolution 
or  Prakritika  Pralaya,  not  only  of  the  Globe  Chain,  but  of  the  whole 
Kosmic  system. 

V.-THE  CREATION  BY  BRAHMA— (Continued]  III.  12. 

The  first  creation  of  Brahma  was  the  five-fold  Avidya,  viz : — 

(1)  Tamas  or  ignorance  of  Self  (Avidya  in  Patanjali.) 

(2)  Moha  or  egoism  (Asmita.) 

(3)  Maha  Moha  or  desire  for  enjoyment  (Raga). 

(4)  Tamisra   or   mental   disturbance   on   the  non-fulfilment  of 

desires  (Dvesha). 

(5)  Andha  Tamisra  or  false  perception  of  death  (Abhinives'a). 

Brahma  was  not  pleased  with  this  dark  creation.  He  purified 
his  soul  by  meditation  on  Bhagavan  and  created  Sanaka,  Sananda, 
Sanatana  and  Sanatkumara.  These  Munis  had  no  performances 
(for  their  own  evolution).  They  were  Urdha-retas.  Brahma,  address 
ing  them,  said — "  Sons,  go  and  multiply  yourselves,"  But  they 
sought  Moksha,  and  heeded  him  not.  Brahma  got  enraged  at  the 
disobedience  of  his  sons,  and,  though  he  tried  to  put  down  his  anger, 
it  burst  forth  from  between  his  eye-brows  and  appeared  as  Kumara 
Nila-Lohita  or  Blue-Red.  The  boy,  the  first  born  of  Devas,  wept  and 
cried  out  to  Brahma — "  Give  me  names  and  give  me  abodes."  "  That 
shall  be  done,"  replied  Brahma,  "  and,  as  thou  wept  like  a  boy,  thou 
shalt  be  called  Rudra  or  the  Weeper.  The  heart,  the  Indriyas,  Prana, 
Akasa,  Vayu,  Agni,  Apas,  Prithvi,  the  Sun,  the  Moon  and  Tapas  are 
your  abodes.  Manyu,  Manu,  Mahinasa,  Mahan,  Siva,  Ritadhvaja, 
Ugra-retas,  Bhava,  Kala,  Bamadeva  and  Dhrita-vrata — these  are  thy 
eleven  names;  Dhi,  Dhriti,  Rasaloma,  Nijut,  Sarpi,  Ila,- Ambika*, 
Iravati,  Svadha,  Diksha  and  Rudrani, — these  are  thy  wives.  Beget 
sons,  as  thou  art  Prajapati."  Thus  ordered,  Nila-Lohita  begot  sons 
like  unto  himself  in  might,  form  and  habits.  The  Rudras  became 
numerous,  and  they  spread  all  ro^nd  the  Universe  ready  almost  to 
devour  it.  Brahma  became  afraid  of  his  creation,  and,  addressing 
himself  to  Rudra,  said — "  O  Chief  of  Devas,  desist  from  such  crea 
tion.  Thy  progeny  with  their  fiery  eyes  are  consuming  all  and 

5 


[     34     1 

even  consuming  me.  Take  to  Tapas  for  the  joy  of  all  beings.  By 
Tapas  thou  shalt  create  the  Universe  as  it  was  of  yore.  By  Tapas 
thou  shalt  gain  that  Bhagavan  who  dwells  in  all  hearts."  "  Amen," 
said  Rudra,  and  he  went  into  the  forests  to  make  Tapas. 

Brahma  then  begot  ten  sons  : — Marichi,  Atri,  Angirasa,  Pulastya, 
Pulaha,  Kratu,  Bhrigu,  Vasishtha,  Daksha  and  Narada.  Narada  came 
from  Brahma's  bosom,  Daksha  from  his  thumb,  Vasishtha  from  his 
Prana,  Bhrigu  from  his  skin,  Kratu  from  his  hands,  Pulaha  from  his 
navel,  Pulastya  from  his  ears,  Angirasa  from  his  mouth,  Atri  from  his 
eyes  and  Marichi  from  his  Manas. 

Dharma  came  from  Brahma's  right  breast,  where  Narayana  him 
self  dwells.  Adharma,  the  parent  of  Mrityu  (or  Death)  came  from  his 
back.  Kama  came  from  his  heart,  Anger  from  his  eye-brows,  Greed 
from  the  lower  lip.  Vak  or  speech  came  from  his  mouth,  the  Seas 
from  his  generative  organ  and  Death  from  his  anus. 

Kardama,  the  husband  of  Devahuti,  was  born  of  Brahma's 
Chhaya  or  shadow.  So  there  was  creation  out  of  the  body  and  the 
mind  of  Brahma.  Brahma  took  a  fancy  to  his  daughter  Vak  (or 
speech).  Marichi  and  his  other  sons  dissuaded  him  from  the  inces 
tuous  connection.  And  the  Creator  in  shame  gave  up  his  body  which 
was  taken  up  by  Space  and  which  is  known  as  dewy  darkness. 
"  How  shall  I  bring  back  all  the  previous  Creation  ? "  So  thought 
Brahma  at  one  time,  and  the  four  Vedas  appeared  from  his  four 
mouths.  The  Yajnas,  the  Upavedas,  the  Philosophies,  the  four  parts 
of  Dharma,  and  the  duties  of  Asramas  also  appeared. 

Brahma  had  another  body  void  of  incestuous  impulses  and  he 
thought  of  enlarging  the  Creation.  But  he  found  himself  and  the 
Rishis,  powerful  though  they  were,  unsuccessful  in  this  respect.  He 
thought  there  was  some  unforeseen  impediment,  so  he  divided  his 
body  into  two.  A  pair  was  formed  by  that  division.  The  male  was 
Svayambhuva  Manu  and  the  female  was  his  wife  Satarupa.  Since 
then  creation  multiplied  by  sexual  intercourse.  Svayambhuva  Manu 
begot  five  children  in  SatarupS. — two  sons,  Priyavrata  and  Uttanapada, 
and  three  daughters,  Akuti,  Devahuti  and  Prasuti.  He  gave  Akuti 
in  marriage  to  Ruchi,  Devahuti  to  Kardama  and  Prasuti  to  Daksha. 
This  changing  universe  is  filled  with  their  progeny. 

[  PRE-MANVANTARIC  CREATION]. 

The  descent  of  Spirit   into   Matter  is  indicated   by  the  over 
shadowing  Tamas  creation,    The  individuals  reach  the  spiritual  plane 


[    35    ] 

at  the  time  of  Pralaya  and  lose  all  sense  of  I-ness.  Their  memory 
becomes  perfectly  dead  to  all  previous  connections  and  experiences 
and  even  as  to  self  as  a  distinct  unit.  The  child  starts^ith  a  body 
of  his  own,  and  faculties  limited  to  that  body.  The  Jiva  children 
that  came  into  existence  at  the  beginning  of  the  Universe  had  how 
ever  nothing  peculiar  to  themselves,  and  they  had  even  to  acquire  the 
sense  of  I-ness. 

First,  the  Jiva  identifies  himself  with  his  body  and  mind, — 
his  own  phenomenal  basis.  For,  if  he  identifies  himself  with  the 
universal  spirit,  there  is  no  action  for  him,  no  working  out  of  his  own 
Karma.  Though  from  the  standpoint  of  the  highest  wisdom  indivi 
duality  is  a  delusion,  for  the  one  unchangeable  ever-lasting  element 
in  Jiva  is  Atma,  and  at  the  final  stage  of  development  man  has  to 
separate  himself  from  his  phenomenal  basis  and  to  identify  himself 
with  Atma,  which  is  the  real  self,  still  the  sense  of  separateness  is 
necessary  for  the  process  of  creation  and  for  the  gaining  of  ex 
periences.  This  sense  is  two-fold, — (i)  the  non-perception  of  Atma 
as  Self,  called  Avidy&  by  Patanjali  and  Tamas  in  the  Puranas,  and 
(2)  the  perception  of  the  upddhi  as  self,  called  AsmiU  by  Patanjali 
and  Moha  in  the  Puranas. 

Attachment  and  aversion,  likes  and  dislikes,  are  equally  neces 
sary  for  continued  individual  action.  The  Jiva  eats  what  he  likes  and 
does  not  eat  what  he  dislikes.  He  associates  himself  with  certain 
objects,  ideas  and  thoughts  and  shuns  others.  His  likes  and  dislikes 
form  the  guiding  principle  of  his  actions.  These  affinities  are  called 
Raga  and  Dvesha  by  Patanjali  and  Mah£  Moha  and  Tamisra  in 
the  Puranas. 

The  tenacious  desire  to  live  in  the  present  body  is  called  Abhi- 
nivesha  by  Patanjali.  This  desire  becomes  an  instinct  in  the  Jiva,  so 
necessary  is  it  for  his  preservation.  The  Puranas  call  it  Andha- 
Tamisra.  Sridhara  explains  it  as  the  shock  we  receive  from  a  separa 
tion  from  all  our  present  enjoyments.  For,  according  to  him,  the 
idea  of  death  is  nothing  but  a  sense  of  separation  from  our  present 
enjoyments. 

These  forms  of  Avidy&  were  called  into  being  that  the  forms 
of  the  previous  Kalpa  might  be  brought  into  existence,  or  that 
the  work  of  creation  might  be  undertaken.  These  faculties  are  the 
very  essence  of  life  manifestation.  But  the  process  has  now  been 
reversed.  The  work  of  creation  is  over.  We  have  acquired  the  ex 
periences  of  earth-life,  and  we  are  now  destined  to  take  a  journey 


[    36    ] 

back  to  our  home,  the  bosom  of  Isvara,  from  which  we  all  came.  We 
have  now  to  undo  our  sense  of  separateness.  The  five  forms  of 
Avidya  are  therefore  called  miseries  (klesha)  by  Patanjali  and  he  lays 
down  rules  for  getting  rid  of  them. 

After  invoking  Avidya,  Brahma  created  the  Kumaras,  who 
were  the  most  spiritual  of  the  beings  to  be  created.  They  were 
so  spiritual,  that  they  could  not  take  any  part  in  the  work  of 
creation.  They  had  to  bide  their  time,  till  there  was  spiritual  ascent 
in  the  Universe. 

The  Rudras,  called  the  Blue-Red  Kumaras,  come  next.  Though 
highly  spiritual  themselves  they  did  not  object  to  take  part  in  the 
work  of  creation.  But  as  real  factors  in  the  work  of  dissolution, 
they  were  entirely  out  of  place  in  the  work  of  creation.  We  owe  our 
idea  of  separateness  or  individuality  to  the  Rudras.  In  the  scale 
of  universal  life  the  agencies  of  dissolution  carve  out  individual  lives 
and  their  mission  ends  there. 

The  ten  Rishis  form  the  next  Creation.  Further  descent  of 
life  in  the  Universe  brought  forth  ten  distinct  types  of  Intelligence. 
We  shall  consider  these  types  later  on.  Then  ctomes  the  story 
of  Brahma's  incest.  Brahma  could  not  directly  take  part  in  the 
Creation.  His  task  was  simply  to  bring  back  the  former  state  of 
things  through  a  graduated  series  of  intermediaries.  First  appeared 
those  that  had  to  hold  cosmic  positions  of  responsibility,  some 
throughout  the  Kalpa  and  others  throughout  the  Manvantara.  With 
the  powers  invoked,  the  temptation  to  evolve  an  independent  Creation 
with  the  help  of  Vach,  the  potency  of  Mantras  had  to  be  got  over. 
This  done,  Brahm&  thought  of  the  Monads  of  the  previous  Kalpa,  and 
the  first  Manu  appeared  with  his  wife  Sata-rOp&  or  Hundred-formed. 
All  forms  of  Creation  existed  in  Idea  before  further  manifestation, 
and  Sata-rupa  was  the  collective  aspect  of  all  such  Ideas. 

THE  FIRST  OR  THE  SVAYAMBHUVA  MANVANTARA. 

VI.    BHUR  AND  VARAHA, 

SKANDHA  III.,  CHAP.  13. 

Said  Manu  to  Brahm&  "  I  shall  do  thy  behests,  O  Lord.  But 
tell  me  where  my  Praja  (progeny)  and  myself  are  to  be  located.  The 
Bhur  of  the  previous  Kalpa  where  all  beings  found  shelter  is  lost  in 
the  great  ocean  of  Pralaya.  Bestir  thyself  and  raise  it  up,  O  Deva." 

Brahma  thought  within  Himself  what  was  to  be  done,  when  lo ! 
out  from  His  nostril  came  a  Boar,  ho  bigger  than  a  thumb.  In  a 


t     37    ] 

moment  the  Boar  assumed  gigantic  proportions  and  all  space  re 
sounded  with  his  roar.  The  dwellers  of  the  Jana,  Tapas  and  Satya 
Lokas  worshipped  Him  by  chanting  the  Mantras  of  the^  three  Vedas. 
He  roared  once  more  for  the  good  of  the  Devas  and  instantly  plunged 
into  the  waters.  Though  an  incarnation  of  Yajna,  He  tried  to  dis 
cover  the  Bhur  by  smelling  like  an  ordinary  animal.  He  dived  down 
as  far  as  Rasatala  and  there  found  the  Bhur  Loka.  He  then  raised 
it  up  on  His  tusks.  The  Daitya  King  Hiranyaksha  resisted  and  in 
rage  the  Boar  killed  him.  The  Rishis  then  worshipped  Him  knowing 
His  true  form  to  be  Yajna. 

THOUGHTS  ON  THE  ABOVE. 

[BhCir  is  the  main  system  of  Triloki.  The  Varaha  A vatara  restored 
the  system  after  the  Kalpa  Pralaya.  Bhur  being  the  lowest  of  the  Seven 
Lokas  corresponds  to  Prithvi  Tatva  and  hence  to  the  sense  of  smell. 
The  boar  is  pre-eminently  the  animal  of  smell.  The  materialisation 
of  the  Prithvi  principle  for  the  purpose  of  globe  formation  was  an 
effort  of  the  energy  of  the  Logos  and  the  smelling  out  of  Bhur  by  the 
Varaha  is  suggestive.  The  Globe  evolution  is  preparatory  to  Monadic 
evolution.  The  pent  up  Karma  of  the  previous  Kalpa  develops  itself 
on  the  Globes.  All  beings  are  mutually  interdependent  for  their 
evolution.  They  help  one  another  in  the  work  of  evolution,  and  one 
makes  sacrifices  that  the  others  may  grow.  Some  have  to  wait,  till 
others  come  forward.  Then  they  become  united  in  the  further  race 
for  progress.  This  great  cosmic  process,  this  mutual  sacrifice  is 
Yajna  itself,  which  is  typified  in  the  Boar  Incarnation.  The  Vedic 
Yajna  gives  prominence  to  the  Communion  of  men  with  Devas,  as 
at  the  early  stages  this  is  an  all  important  fact  of  evolution.  The  Varaha 
is  called  the  first  Yajna  Avatara  and  all  the  parts  of  His  body  are 
named  with  reference  to  Vedic  Yajna,  as  He  by  raising  Bhur  prepared 
the  field  for  Karma.] 


VII.     THE  STORY  OF  HIRANYAKSHA. 
SKANDHA  III^  CHAP.  14. 

Diti,  the  daughter  of  Daksha,  approached  one  evening  her  hus 
band  Kasyapa,  son  of  Marichi.  She  was  overpowered  with  the 
passion  of  love  and  became  importunate.  Kasyapa  asked  her  to  wait. 
Rudra  was  presiding  over  sunset.  His  astral  attendants,  the  Bhutas 


[     38     ] 

and  Pishachas,  were  roaming  over  the  Universe.  With  His  three  eyes 
representing  the  Sun,  Moon  and  fire  he  could  see  every  thing.  His 
hesitation  to  yield  to  Diti  was  of  no  avail,  and  the  Muni  had  to  yield. 
There  Diti  became  ashamed  of  her  weakness.  She  was  afraid  she 
had  offended  Rudra  and  she  helplessly  prostrated  herself  at  the  feet 
of  Kasyapa  praying  for  his  forgiveness.  "  Thou  hast  disobeyed  me," 
said  Kasyapa,  "  and  hast  shown  disrespect  to  the  companions  of 
Rudra,  thy  mind  is  impure  and  so  is  the  time  of  Evening  (Sandhya). 
These  four  evils  will  cause  the  birth  of  two  wicked  sons  from  thee. 
They  will  oppress  the  Triloki  and  the  Lokapalas  (Preservers  of  the 
three  Lokas).  When  their  inequities  exceed  all  bounds,  Vishnu  will 
Himself  incarnate  to  kill  them." 

For  one  hundred  years  Diti  conceived  her  twin  sons.  Even 
from  within  the  womb  they  shed  lustre  all  round,  which  even  over 
powered  the  Lokapalas.  The  Devas  went  to  Brahma  to  ascertain 
the  cause  of  this  disaster.  He  related  to  them  the  following  story. 

"  My  Manasa-putras,  Sanaka  and  others  were  once  in  Vai- 
kuntha,  the  abode  of  Bhagavan.  Impatient  to  see  Bhagavan  the 
Kumaras  hurriedly  passed  through  the  six  portals  (Ka'ksha).  At  the 
seventh  portal,  they  found  two  doorkeepers  of  equal  age  with  clubs 
in  their  hands,  richly  adorned  with  golden  crowns  and  other  orna 
ments.  They  had  four  hands  and  looked  beautiful  in  their  blue  colour. 
The  Kumaras  heeded  them  not,  but  opened  the  gate  with  their  own 
hands  as  they  had  opened  the  other  gates.  The  door  keepers  stop 
ped  them  with  their  clubs.  The  Kumaras  were  put  out  by  this  unfore 
seen  obstruction  and  addressing  the  doorkeepers  gave  vent  to  their 
feelings  thus : — '  What  mean  you  by  making  this  distinction  ?  In 
Him  the  Lord  of  Vaikuntha,  there  is  no  difference  whatsoever.  The 
whole  of  this  Universe  is  in  Him.  Do  you  dread  any  danger  to  Him, 
as  to  a  common  being,  and  why  will  you  admit  some  and  not  others  ? 
But  you  are  His  servants.  So  we  do  not  intend  to  be  very  hard  on 
you.  But  you  must  descend  from  this  elevated  plane  and  take  your 
birth  where  passion,  anger  and  greed  prevail '." 

"  The  door-keepers  became  terrified  at  this  curse  and  fell  at  the 
feet  of  the  Kumaras.  All  that  they  prayed  for  was  that  while  pass 
ing  through  the  lowest  births,  they  might  not  have  Moha,  beclouding 
their  recollection  of  Bhagavan.  Bhagavan  knew  what  had  transpired 
outside.  He  hastened  on  foot  with  Lakshmi  by  His  side  to  where 
the  Munis  stood.  The  Kumaras  prostrated  themselves  before  Him 
Whom  they  had  so  long  meditated  upon  in  their  hearts.  With  intent 
eyes  they  looked  steadily  on  Him  and  longed  to  see  Him  again  and 


t     39    1 

again.  The  Kumaras  lauded  Him  with  words  full  ofimport.  Bhaga 
van  addressing  them  said  : — '  These  my  door-keepers  are  by 
name  Jaya  and  Vijaya.  They  have  slighted  you,  aud  it  is  right 
that  you  have  cursed  them.  I  sanction  that  curse.  For  they 
are  my  servants,  and  I  am  indirectly  responsible  for  their  deeds. 
I  always  respect  Brahmanas,  as  my  glory  is  derived  from  them. 
These  door-keepers  did  not  know  my  regard  for  you,  and  they 
therefore  unintentionally  slighted  you.  But  they  shall  instant 
ly  reap  the  fruit  of  their  evil  deeds  and  come  back  to  Me 
when  their  punishment  is  over.  Please  therefore  decide  where  they 
are  to  go.'  The  Kumaras  knew  not  what  to  say.  They  thought 
they  had  not  done  right  and  they  asked  to  be  excused.  '  It  is  all 
right  for  Thee  to  extol  the  Brahmanas  in  this  way,  for  Thou  art  the 
Preserver  of  Dharma  and  Thou  teachest  others  what  to  do.  But  if, 
really,  we  have  done  wrong,  let  us  be  punished  and  let  not  our  curse 
visit  these  innocent  door-keepers/  Bhagavan  replied  : — '  It  is  I  who 
have  uttered  the  curse  through  your  mouths.  My  will  shall  be  done. 
These  door-keepers  shall  be  born  as  Asuras,  but  they  shall  come  back 
to  Me  speedily/  These  two  door-keepers,  O  Devas,  have  now  ap 
peared  in  Diti's  womb.  I  have  no  power  to  overcome  them.  But 
when  the  time  comes  for  the  prevalence  of  Satva,  Bhagavan  Himself 
will  do  what  is  needed." 

The  Devas  went  away  and  waited  for  events.  The  two  Daityas 
Hiranyaksha  and  Hiranyakasipu  were  born  of  Diti,  after  a  conception 
of  one  hundred  years.  Hiranyakhsa  though  elder  by  birth  was 
younger  by  conception. 

THOUGHTS  ON  HIRANYAKSHA. 

[Diti  is  literally  'Cutting,'  'Splitting,'  or  'dividing.'  Jaya 
and  Vijaya  mean  victory.  Hiranya  is  gold.  Hiranyaksha  means 
gold-eyed.  Hiranyakasipu  means  gold-bedded.  The  key  to 
the  mystery  lies  in  the  fact  that  Jaya  and  Vijaya  were  the 
door-keepers  of  Vishnu  and  their  external  form  was  that  of 
Vishnu.  The  Purusha  in  the  Heart  is  the  Counterpart  in  microcosm 
of  the  Purusha  in  the  Universe.  And  we  have  found  above  that  the 
five  or  ten  door-keepers  or  Brahma-Purushas  in  the  Heart  are  the 
five  or  ten  Pranas  in  man.  By  analogy,  therefore,  which  is  a  potent 
factor  in  the  solution  of  mysteries,  we  find  that  Jaya  and.  Vijaya  are 
the  two-fold  manifestations  of  Prana  in  Vaikuntha,  the  in-going  and 
out-going  energies  of  Purusha.  The  life  -principle  is  an  aspect  of 
Bhagavan  and  stands  at  His  very  gate,  It  is  this  outer  aspect  of 


[     40     ]- 

Purusha  that  is  the  mainspring  of  all  material  activities,  of  all  life- 
manifestations  and  of  the  material  development  of  the  universe.  The 
duality  represents  Tamasic  inaction  and  Rajasic  activity.  Hiran- 
yaksha  would  have  no  life-manifestation,  no  appearance  of  globes, 
he  would  continue  a  state  of  things  verging  on  Pralayic  sleep.  Hira- 
nyakasipu  was  the  very  ideal  of  material  greatness  and  material 
grandeur.  Kumbhakarna  slept  and  Ravana  worked.  The  brothers 
Jaya  and  Vijaya  passed  through  the  dividing  energy  of  Diti,  to  cause 
the  material  manifoldness  of  the  Universe.  The  Varaha  as  representing 
the  awakened  Jivic  Karma  fought  with  the  Asura  that  opposed  the 
development  of  that  Karma,  which  could  only  fructify  on  the  BhOr 
system.] 


VIII.     DEVA  AND  DEVA-YONI  CREATION. 
SKANDHA  III.,  CHAP.  20. 

Vidura  asked  Maitreya :  How  did  Marichi  and  other  Rishis  and 
also  Svayambhuva  Manu  carry  out  Brahma's  orders  to  create. 

Maitreya  continued  the  story  of  Creation  in  reply  to  Vidura, 

We  have  heard  of  the  primal  dark  creation  of  Brahma,  consist 
ing  of  five-fold  Avidya.  Referring  to  that,  Maitreya  said,  it  was  a 
creation  of  shadows.  Brahma  was  not  pleased  with  this  shadowy 
creation.  He  gave  up  the  dark  body  and  it  became  night.  At  that 
time  Yakshas  and  Rakshasas  were  born  and  they  took  it  up.  The 
body  was  not  only  dark,  but  it  was  the  seat  of  hunger  and  thirst. 
The  new-born  therefore  in  their  hunger  and  thirst  ran  after  Brahma 
to  devour  Him.  Some  of  them  said  : — "  Have  no  mercy  on  Him  as 
father."  Others  said  "  Devour  him."  Brahma  became  afraid  of  them 
and  said  "Save  me.  You  are  my  sons.  You  should  not  devour 
me."  Those  that  said  "  Devour  "  are  Yakshas  and  those  that  said  "  Do 
not  save  him  "  are  Rakshasas.  Brahma  then  created  the  Devas,  with 
His  radiant  Satvika  body. 

This  body  when  given  up  became  day  and  the  playing  Devas 
took  it  up.  Brahma  then  created  the  Asuras  out  of  His  thigh. 
They  became  extremely  passionate  and  ran  after  Brahma  void  of  all 
shame.  In  great  distress  Brahma  prayed  to  Vishnu  and  the  Creator 
was  told  to  give  up  His  body  of  passion.  The  body  was  given  up 
and  it  became  Sandhya  or  evening.  The  Asuras  accepted  Sandhya 
as  their  wife.  Evening  is  the  time  for  lust  and  passion.  Brahma  then 
created  the  Gandharvas  and  Apsaras  with  His  body  of  beauty, 


[     4'     ] 

which  when  given  up  became  Moon-light.  With  his  indolence, 
Brahm&  created  the  Bhutas  and  Pisachas.  They  were  stark  naked 
and  had  long  loose  hair.  Brahma  closed  his  eyes  or?  seeing  them. 
After  a  time  he  gave  up  his  yawning  body  and  'the  Bhutas  and 
Pishachas  took  it  up.  The  body  that  causes  secretion  is  called 
"  Sleep." 

That  which  causes  delusion  is  "Madness."  Indolence,  yawning, 
sleep  and  madness — all  these  four  were  taken  up  by  Bhutas  and 
Pisachas  for  their  body.  Brahma  knew  His  powers  and  He  created 
with  His  invisible  body  the  Sadhyas  and  Pitris.  By  His  power  of 
becoming  invisible,  He  created  Siddhas  and  Vidhyadharas  and  gave 
them  His  body  with  that  power.  By  His  reflected  image  He  created 
the  Kinnaras  and  Kimpurushas,  who  took  up  that  image  for  their 
body.  At  dawn,  they  sing  in  pairs  the  praise  of  Brahma.  Brahma 
did  not  find  any  progress  in  creation  with  all  these  Bhoga  (expansive) 
bodies.  He  threw  away  His  body  and  from  His  hair  the  elemental 
serpents  or  NSgas  were  born.  After  all,  Brahma  created  the  Manus 
and  Rishis. 


IX.     THE  PROGENY  OF  KARDAMA. 
SKANDHA  III.  CHAP.  21-24. 

Kardama  Rishi  was  ordered  by  Brahma  to  create.  This  led 
him  to  pray  to  Vishnu  on  the  sacred  banks  of  the  Sarasvati,  near 
Vindu  Sarovara.  Vishnu  appeared  before  him  with  Lakshmi  by  His 
side.  He  revealed  to  Kardama  a  happy  future.  The  Rishi  was  to 
marry  Manu's  daughter,  to  have  by  her  nine  daughters  and  one  son, 
an  Incarnation  of  Vishnu  Himself,  who  was  to  promulgate  the  Tatva 
Vidya.  Shortly  after,  Svayambhuva  Manu  came  to  Kardama's  her 
mitage,  with  his  wife  Sata-rupa  and  offered  to  the  Rishi  his  daughter 
Devahuti  in  marriage.  Kardama  accepted  her  as  his  wife.  He  had 
by  her  nine  daughters  and  the  Avatara  Kapila.  Brahma  with  his 
sons — the  Rishis — came  to  Kardama  and  congratulated  him  and  his 
wife  Devahuti  upon  having  Bhagavan  Vishnu  for  their  son.  He  then 
asked  Kardama  to  give  his  daughters  in  marriage  to  the  Rishis.  Kar 
dama  followed  his  father's  behests  and  gave  his  daughters  duly  in 
marriage  to  the  Rishis.  Kala,  he  gsve  to  Marichi,  AnasuyS  to  Atri, 
Sraddha  to  Angirasa,  Havirbhu  to  Pulastya,  Gati  to  Pulaha;  Kriya^  to 
Kratu,  Khyati  to  Bhrigu,  Arundhati  to  Vasishtha  and  Santi  to  Athar- 
van.  The  Rishi  then  went  to  the  forest  for  yoga  and  left  his  wife 
in  charge  of  Kapila, 


[      42      ] 

^ 

THOUGHTS  ON  KAR13AMA. 

[  Devahuti  means  offering  to  Devas,  which  is  universal  service. 
She  is  the  progenitor  of  those  forms  of  life  which  have  a  spiritual 
influence  over  the  whole  Trailokya. 

"  Kala  "  is  part,  a  digit  of  the  Moon. 

"Anasuya"  means  absence  of  envy.  From  the  proverbial 
chastity  of  Atri's  wife  the  word  also  means  the  highest  type  of 
chastity  and  wifely  devotion. 

"  Sraddha  "  means  faith. 

"  Havirbhu  "  means  born  of  sacrificial  oblation. 

"  Gati  "  means  course,  path. 

"  Kriy£  "  means  performance  (of  Yajna)  and  action. 

"  Khyati  "  means  fame,  praise  and  also  proper  discrimination. 

"  Arundhati  "  would  perhaps  mean  one  that  does  not  stop  or 
hinder.  Probably  the  word  means  a  wife  who  helps  her  husband 
in  the  performance  of  duties  and  does  not  stop  or  prevent  him. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  Star  Arundhati  is  pointed  out  to 
the  bride  at  the  nuptial  ceremony. 

"  Santi  "  is  peace,  the  well  known  invocation  of  the  Vedas  at 
the  end  of  a  Mantra. 

"  Kardama  "  means  clay.  He  was  born  of  Brahma's  Chhay^ 
or  shadow. 

Devahuti,  being  wedded  to  the  materialised  shadow  of  the 
whole  Universe,  gave  rise  to  certain  female  types  which  in  their  turn 
on  being  wedded  to  the  Rishis,  the  highest  Planetory  Intelligences, 
became  the  progenitors  of  all  the  life  forms  of  the  Universe.  Kapila 
was  one  of  the  earliest  Rishis.  The  word  —  Kapila  means  tawny 
or  brown  coloured.  ] 


X.  KAPILA'S  INSTRUCTION  TO  HIS  MOTHER 

DEVAHUTI. 
SKANDHA  III.,  CHAP.  25-33. 

We  now  come  to  an  important  part  of  the  Bhagavata  Purina,  — 
the  teachings  of  Kapila  to  his  mother  in  the  Yoga  philosophy  of 
the  Bhagavat  Purana.  They  adapt  the  Sankhya  and  the  Yoga  systems 
to  Bhakti  or  devotion0.  *'  For  a  full  knowledge  of  the  teachings  I 
refer  my  readers  to  the  Purina  itself,  I  shall  only  give  the  salient 


[    43     ] 

> 

points  and  avoid  details  "as  much  as  possible,  without  breaking  the 
continuity  of  the  discourses.  "Yoga  directed  towards  Atma 
brings  about  Mukti.  Chitta  attached  to  the  transformations  of 
Gunas  causes  Bondage ;  attached  to  Purusha,  it  causes  Mukti. 
When  the  mind  is  pure  and  free  from  distractions,  man  perceives 
AtmS.  in  himself,  by  Wisdom,  Dispassion  and  Devotion.  There  is  no 
path  so  friendly  to  the  Yogins  as  constant  devotion  to  Bhagavan. 
Company  of  S^dhus  opens  wide  the  door  to  Mukti.  They  are 
Sadhus  who  have  forbearance  and  compassion,  who  are  friendly 
to  all  beings,  who  have  no  enemies,  who  are  free  from  pas 
sions,  and  above  all  who  have  firm  and  undivided  Bhakti  in  Me. 
They  give  up  all  for  My  sake  and  they  hear  and  speak  no  words 
that  do  not  relate  to  Me.  Their  company  removes  the  impurities  of 
worldliness.  Men  first  hear  about  Me  from  the  Sadhus.  By  faith 
their  heart  is  drawn  towards  Me,  and  they  have  devotion  for  Me. 
Devotion  causes  Dispassion  and  makes  easy  the  path  of  Yoga.  By 
indifference  to  the  Guna  transformations  of  Prakriti,  by  wisdom 
fostered  by  Dispassion,  by  Yoga  and  by  Bhakti  (devotion)  offered  to 
Me,  the  Jiva  attains  Me  even  while  in  this  body." 

"  When  the  Indriyas  (the  senses  and  the  mind),  that  manifest  the 
objects  of  external  and  internal  perception,  become  trained  by  the 
performance  of  Vedic  Karma,  their  spontaneous  Vritti  (or  function)  in 
a  man  of  concentrated  mind  is  in  Satva  which  is  the  same  as  Vishnu. 
This  Vritti  which  is  void  of  all  selfishness  is  Bhakti  in  Bhagavan.  It 
is  superior  to  Mukti.  It  instantly  destroys  the  Kosha  (Astral  body) 
as  the  digestive  fire  consumes  food.  The  devoted  have  no  yearning 
for  that  Mukti  (Sayujya  or  Nirvana)  which  makes  the  Jiva  one  with 
Me.  But  they  prefer  ever  to  talk  with  each  other  about  Me,  to 
exert  themselves  for  My  sake  and  ever  to  meditate  on  Me. 
Mukti  comes  to  them  unasked.  My  Vibhutis,  the  eight  Siddhis 
(anima  &c.)  and  all  the  glory  of  the  highest  Lokas  are  theirs,  though 
they  want  them  not.  I  am  their  Teacher,  their  Friend,  their  Compani 
on,  their  all.  So  even  Kala  cannot  destroy  them." 

"  Purusha  is  Atma.  He  is  eternal,  void  of  Gunas,  beyond  Pra 
kriti,  all  pervading,  self  luminous  and  all  manifestating." 

"  Prakriti  is  Pradhana,  one  in  itself,  but  is  also  the  source  of  all 
differences  (yisesha\  possessed  of  three  Gunas,  unmanifested  (avyakta) 
and  eternal." 

"  The  twenty  four  transformations  of  Prakriti  called  Pradhanika 
or  Saguna  Brahma  are  : — 

5  Maha  Bhutas— Earth,  Water,  Fire,  Air  and  Akasa. 


[     44    ] 

5  Tanmatras— Smell,  Taste,  Rtipa,  Touch  and  Sound. 
10  Indriyas — Ear,   Skin,   Eye,   Tongue,    Nose,    Speech,    Hand, 
Foot,  Upastha  and  Payu. 

4  Divisions  of  Antahkarana — Manas,  Buddhi,  Chitta  and  Ahan 
kara."  4g| 

"  Kala  is  the  twenty-fifth.  But  according  to  some,  Kala  is  Pra- 
bhava  or  Sakti  of  Purusha.  Those  who  identify  themselves  with 
Prakriti  are  afraid  of  Kala.  Kala  as  the  outer  aspect  of  Purusha 
disturbs  the  equilibrium  of  Gunas  in  Prakriti." 

"  Purusha  energised  Prakriti  and  the  Gunas  led  to  transformations 
following  the  action  of  Daiva  or  Karma,  (Jivic  record  of  the  previous 
Kalpa).  Prakiiti  brought  forth  the  refulgent  Mahat  Tatva.  The 
seed  of  the  Universe  was  in  the  bosom  of  Mahat,  and  it  manifested 
the  Universe  and  destroyed  the  darkness  of  Pralaya  by  its  own 
light." 

<(  Chitta  which  is  Vasudeva  and  Mahat,  is  Satva,  transparent  and 
pure,  and  the  perception  of  Bhagavan  is  achieved  by  this  division  of 
Antahkarana." 

"Transparence  (fitness  for  the  full  reflection  of  Brahma)  immuta 
bility  and  tranquility  are  the  characteristics  of  Chitta,  as  of  water  in 
its  primal  state." 

"  Mahat  Tatva  was  transformed  into  Ahankara  Tatva,  with  its 
Kriya  Sakti.  Ahankara  became  three-fold— Satvika  (Manas),  Raja- 
sika  (Indriyas)  and  Tamasika  (Bhutas)  /.  e.  Kartri  or  Cause,  Karana 
or  Instrument  and  Karyya  or  effect." 

"  Sankarshana  is  the  Purusha  of  Ahankara.  He  is  the  Thousand- 
Headed  and  Ananta  (endless.)" 

"  Manas  is  Sankalpa  and  Vikalpa.  It  is  the  generator  of  Kama 
(or  desire.)  So  Aniruddha,  the  king  of  Indriyas,  blue  as  the  blue-lotus 
of  autumn,  the  Purusha  of  Manas,  has  with  patience  to  be  got  over 
by  yogins." 

"Buddhi  is  Rajasa  transformation  of  Ahankara.  The  perception 
of  objects,  dependence  on  the  Indriyas,  doubt,  wrong-knowledge, 
right-knowledge,  memory  and  sleep  these  are  the  functions  of  Buddhi. 
(Pradyumna  is  the  Purfisha  of  Buddhi.)" 

[The  terminology  here  adopted  will  appear  strange  to  the 
Vedantin  scholar.  The  divisions  of  Antahkarana  are  here  adopted 
to  the  sacred  Tetracty^ -or  Chatur-vyuha,  consisting  of  Vasudeva, 
Sankarshana,  Aniruddha  and  Pradyumna.  In  Devotional  practice, 


[    45     ] 

0 

Antahkarana  should  be  made  the  channel  for  higher  communion  and 
its  divisions  are  the  divisions  of  spiritual  perception. 

Chitta  is  the  highest  aspect  of  Antahkarana  corresponding  to 
Mahat  Tatva  in  the  Universe,  with  the  Purusha  always  reflected  in  it. 
This  aspect  corresponds  to  Vasudeva,  the  highest  Purusha  in  the 
Tetraktys. 

Ahankara  is  the  bare  individuality,  transformable  into  peculiari 
ties,  but  not  so  transformed.  Sankarshana  is  the  corresponding 
Purusha. 

Manas  is  Kama  or  desire  brought  on  by  likes  and  dislikes.  It 
consists  of  the  mental  tendencies  of  attachment,  repulsion  and  in 
difference.  Aniruddha  is  the  corresponding  Purusha. 

Buddhi  is  in  one  word  the  Chitta  of  Patanjali, — that  which 
functions  through  the  physical  brain. 

Pradyumna  is  the  corresponding  Purusha.] 

"  The  Indriyas  are  also  the  Rajasika  transformations  of  Ahan 
kara." 

Prana  trj/ough  its  Kriya  Sakti  gave  rise  to  the  Karma  Indriyas. 
Buddhi  through  its  Jnana  Sakti  gave  rise  to  the  Jnana  Indriyas.  The 
Tanmatras  and  the  Maha  Bhutas  then  came  out  in  order  of  trans 
formation.  All  these  principles  could  not,  however,  unite  to  bring 
forth  the  creation.  Purusha  then  permeated  them,  and  the  Cosmic 
Egg  with  its  covers  was  formed.  Details  are  given  as  to  how  the 
Indriyas  and  Antahkarana  with  their  Adhyatma,  AdhibhOta  and 
Adhidaiva  appearing  in  the  Virata  Purusha,  rose  up  from  sleep  as  it 
were  only  when  Chitta  finally  appeared. 

Kapila  then  dilated  on  the  relations  between  Purusha  and  Pra- 
kriti,  using  the  illustration  of  the  sun  reflected  on  water  and  re-reflected 
on  the  wall.  He  showed  how  Mukti  could  be  attained  by  discrimi 
nation  of  Prakriti  and  Purusha — the  seer  and  the  seen. 

Devahuti  asked  how  Mukti  was  possible  when  Prakriti  and 
Purusha  were  eternally  co-existent,  and  inter-dependent  in  manifesta 
tion.  A  man  might  for  a  time  realize  that  the  Purusha  was  free  from 
the  fears  of  relativity,  but  his  Karma  had  connected  him  with  the 
Gunas  and  the  fears  would  recur  as  the  ultimate  cause  could  not  be 
removed.  Kapila  replied,  "  By  unselfish  performance  of  duties,  by 
purification  of  mind,  by  intense  Bhakti  in  Bhagavan  fostered  by 
the  recital  of  His  glory,  by  wisdom  based  on  the  knowledge  of  the 
Tatvas,  by  strong  dispassion,  by  austere  yoga,  by  intense  concentra 
tion  on  Atma,  Prakriti  becomes  daily  subdued  and  it  is  finally  con 
sumed,  even  as  the  wood  is  consumed  by  its  own  fire,  caused  by  cons- 


[     46     ] 

tant  friction.  Given  up  as  already  enjoyed  and  constantly  found  fault 
with,  Prakriti  does  no  harm  to  the  Purusha  centred  in  Self.  Dreams 
do  harm  in  sleep.  But  when  a  man  wakes  up,  they  lose  all  power  to 
injure,  as  they  are  then  found  to  be  dreams  only." 

Kapila  then  explained  the  Ashtanga  Yoga  of  Patanjali,  as 
adapted  to  Bhakti  and  gave  a  graphic  description  of  Vishnu  as  the 
object  of  meditation. 

He  then  explained  Bhakti  Yoga.  Bhakti  Yoga  is  either  Saguna 
or  Nirguna.  As  Saguna  it  is  either  Satvika,  Rajasika  or  Tamasika. 

Nirguna  Bhakti  Yoga  is  that  in  which  the  mind  runs  towards 
Bhagavan,  even  as  the  Ganges  runs  towards  the  Sea,  with  a  constant 
spontaneous  flow.  The  Devoted  spurn  Salokya,  Sarshti,  Samipya, 
Sarupya  and  Sayujya  union  (i)  even  when  offered  to  them  and  they 
prefer  to  serve  Bhagavan  ever  and  ever.  Compassion  and  friendliness  to 
all  beings  are  the  essential  qualifications  of  the  Devoted.  They  must 
be  humble,  respectful  and  self  controlled.  They  must  pass  their  days 
in  hearing  and  reciting  the  glory  of  Bhagavan. 

Kapila  then  described  in  vivid  terms  the  life  and  death  of  a  man 
of  the  world  and  his  passage  after  death  to  Yama  Lokg  He  describ 
ed  the  rebirth  and  went  through  every  detail  of  foetal  existence.  The 
foetus  acquires  consciousness  in  the  seventh  month  and  gets  a  re 
collection  of  previous  births.  This  recollection  is  tost  on  being  born. 

Those  who  selfishly  perform  their  Dharma  and  worship  Devas 
and  Pitris  go  to  Soma  Loka,  and  after  partaking  of  Soma,  they  are 
again  re-born.  And  even  their  Lokas  are  destroyed  with  the  daily 
Pralaya  of  Brahma. 

Those  who  unselfishly  perform  their  duties  and  give  themselves 
up  entirely  to  the  Supreme  Purusha  go  through  Surya  (Sun)  to  the 
transcosmic  Loka  of  Parama  Purusha.  The  worshippers  of  Hiranya- 
garbha  (Brahma)  reach  Brahma  Loka  or  Satya  Loka  and  there  wait 
for  two  Pararddhas  i.  e.  for  the  life  time  of  Brahma  and  upon  the 
final  dissolution  of  the  Brahmanda  go  to  the  trans-cosmic  plane  of 
Parama  Purusha. 

Brahma,  Marichi  and  other  Rishis,  the  Kumaras  and  Siddhas  do 
their  assigned  work  unselfishly,  but  their  Upasana  admits  of  distinc 
tion.  So  they  are  absorbed  in  the  Second  or  the  First  Manifested 
Purusha  at  Pralaya  and  become  re-born  at  creation. 

(1). — These  are  the  five  kinds  of  Mukti. 

Salokya  is  residence  in  the  same  Loka  with  the  Supreme  Being. 
Sarshti  is  equality  with  the  Supreme  Being  in  all  the  divine  attributes, 
Samipya  is  assimilation  to  the  deity. 
Sayujya  is  absorption  into  the  Supreme  Being. 


[     47     1 

DevahCiti  heard  all' this  from  Kapila.  Her  doubts  were  all  re 
moved  and  she  found  the  light  within  herself.  She  remained  fixed  in 
meditation  as  long  as  her  Prarabdha  was  not  exhausted.  She  then 
attained  Mukti. 

Kapila  first  went  towards  the  North.  The  sea  then  gave  Him 
place,  where  He  still  lies  in  deep  Satnadhi,  for  the  peace  of  Triloki. 
(Ganga  Sagar  or  Saugor  is  said  to  be  the  seat  of  Kapila). 


THE  GENEALOGY  OF  MANU  AND  THE  RISHIS. 
SKANDHA  IV.  CHAP.  i. 

In  every  Manvantara,  there  are  one  Manu,  sons  of  Ma- 
nu,  Devas,  Indra  or  king  of  the  Devas,  seven  Rishis  and  one 
Avatara  of  Vishnu.  The  Avataras  of  Purusha  propel  Manu  and 
others  to  their  work.  At  the  end  of  every  cycle  of  4  Yugas,  the 
Rishis  by  their  Tapas  find  out  the  lost  Srutis  and  revive  the  old 
Dharma.  The  Manus  propound  the  Dharma.  The  sons  of  Manu  in 
cluding  their  descendants  and  others  preserve  the  Dharma,  in  their 
respective  times,  to  the  end  of  the  Manvantara.  The  Devas  help  them 
in  their  work.  Indra  preserves  the  Triloki  and  sends  down  rains  " 
VIII.— 14. 

In  the  Svayambhuva  Manvantara,  Svayambhuva  was  Manu,  the 
Tushita  Devas  were  the  Devatas,  Marichi  and  others  were  the  seven 
Rishis,  Yajna  was  both  Avatara  and  Indra.  Priyavrata  and  Uttan- 
pada  were  the  two  sons  of  Manu. 

A  number  of  genealogical  tables  are  given  below  : — 

(N.  B.  The  female  names  are  given  in  italics) 


t  48  ] 


a| 

3   3 


w 

PQ 
H 


CQ 


•*        > 

1  I 

<1 


s 
'-2      ko 

U    *C 
":?    « 


CQ 


w 


2      a 

"1     ^ 
*> 


._        o 
>       •£* 


o 

C5          | 

-§     Q 


'• 


•  H         g 
%         % 


PQ 


PM 


t     49     ] 
.    TABLE  C, 
Marichi 
m.  Kald 


Kasyapa 


Viraja 


Datta 
(  Vishnu ) 


Pdrnimd 


\ 

Visvaga 


Devakulyd 

(  River  Ganges  in 
subsequent  in 
carnation  ). 


TABLE  D. 

Atri 
m.  AnasAyd 


Durvasas 
(  Rudra ) 


I 
Soma 

(Brahma) 


TABLE  E. 

Angirasa 
m.  Sraddhd 


Sinivali 


Kuhti 


Rdkd        Amimati       Utathya      Vrihaspati* 


TABLE  F. 

Pulastya 

m.  Havirbhu 

\ 

\ 

Agastya 
m.  (i)  Jlavila                         m.  (2)  Kesinf 

Visravas 

Kuvera 

7 


Ravana 


i 

Kumbhakarna 


Vibhishana 


[     50    ] 

TABLE  G. 

Pulaha 

m.  Gati 

i 


Karma  Sreshtha 


Bariyas 


Sahishnu 


TABLE  H. 
Kratu 

m,  Kriya 

\    ' 
60,000  Balakhilya  Rishis 

TABLE  I. 
Vasishtha 
m.  Aruudhati 


Chitraketu,  Surochi,         Virajfi, 


Mitra,  Ulvana,  Vasubhirdyana,  Duyuman, 


TABLE  J. 

Atharvan 

m.  Chitti 

Dadhichi  (  Asvasiras  ) 


TABLE  K. 

Bhrigu 
m.  Khyati 


)hata 

Vidh 

ata                               S 

i                     Kc 

LVI 

>*.    Ayati 
i 

m.  Niyati 
i 

/Irikundu 

Vedasiras                                                            Usanas 

Markandey* 


m 

<    3 
H     3 

Q 


-s 

</! 


^ 

•| 


•^ 


rt 

Z 
-  nj 

Q 


0 


£ 

-  nJ 
ffi 


^ 

$r 


"I 


- 


• 

PH 


rt 
CO 


« 


C 

'E 

Q 


G 

I 


Dharma 


—  X 


rt 


rt 
X 


Damba 


I 
Lobha 


[     52     ] 
TABLE  M, 

Adharma 
m.  Mithyd 


Married 


Married 


Mdyd 


Sathatd 


Krodha 


Kali 


Married 

i 


Married 


Hinsd 


Durukti 


Mrityu 


Married 


Bhiti 


I 
Niraya 


I 
Ydtand 


[    53    ] 


* 
3    o 

3    !    5 
5        5 


—  |    <|— 


- 


bJD 
—  H 


I 

3 


* 


-s 

I 

^ 


a 


j 

-^? 

o 

I 

_'3b 


n 


05 

§ 


t     54     ] 


U 


-i 


W 


3!— 


r- 


-i 

O2 


o 


3        13    f n 


1 


II 

If 


•a 
I 


[    55     ] 


3    1 

PQ       -S 


1- 

Set 


f 


il-i 

*  " 


^  H 


e8        *-        -S    M 

~|    *~lf 
3 

OS 


^ 


Sot 


O         ^ 


J3        CO 

-I-l 
«        5 


*  1 

fl        to 


S       -^ 


-* 


^ 

T 

^~ 

p 


ci 

_r: 
-.2 


a 


c§      : 


-1 


"1 

-1 


[     57    1 
-  TABLE  R. 

Krisasva 
m.  IS.  Archi  m.  16.  D  his  hand 


I  i  I  "T"          ~~l 

DhOmaketu     Vedasiras  Devala        Vayuna          Manu. 

TABLE  S. 

Tarksha 
m.  17.  Vinatd      m.  18.  Kadm      m.  /p.  Patangi      m.  20.  Ydmint 


Garu^a        Aruna  Serpents        Flying'  birds  Salabha  (Moths 

and  locusts) 


TABLE  T. 

Chandra  (  Moon  ) 
m.  21  to  47,  Krittika  &c  (Stars  in  the  lunar  path  on  the  Ecliptic.) 


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02 


GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  THE  TABLES. 

These  Tables  must  not  be  mistaken  for  human  genealogies. 
The  reader  will  have  to  carry  himself  in  imagination  to  a  time  when 
there  was  a  vast  sheet  of  nebulous  mass,  when  the  globes  and  planets 
had  not  been  formed,  and  the  phenomena  now  known  as  day,  night, 
year,  month  and  season  were  still  unknown. 

The  process  known  as  Pralaya  had  absorbed  the  life  energies 
of  Triloki,  which  remained  latent  in  that  intermediate  plane  between 
the  higher  and  the  lower  Lokas  known  as  Mahar  Loka.  When  the 
creative  process  set  in,  and  the  ground  was  prepared  for  the  manifes 
tation  of  life,  life  energies  streamed  forth  from  the  Mahar  Loka,  more 
as  types  than  as  individuals.  These  types  are  called  Prajapatis  or 
the  Lords  of  life  kingdoms.  They  carry  back  to  Triloki  all  the  life 
energies  of  the  previous  Kalpa.  At  Pralaya,  they  draw  back  unto 
themselves  all  the  life  energies  of  the  dying  Triloki,  and  take 
a  lasting  sleep  in  the  archetypal  plane  (  Mahar  Loka  )  to  which 
they  properly  belong.  The  Prajapatis  of  the  First  Manvantara  become 
the  Rishis  of  other  Manvantaras.  As  the  first  Lords  of  creation  bring 
back  the  life  energies  as  well  as  the  lost  experiences  of  the  previous 
Kalpa,  so  the  Rishis  bring  back  the  lost  knowledge  of  each  Manvan 
tara.  This  is  fully  explained  in  the  fourteenth  Chapter  of  the  Eighth 
Skandha.  The  Kumars  are  not  Prajapatis,  as  they  come  from  a 
plane  higher  than  Mahar  Loka.  In  the  first  Manvantara,  Marichi,  Atri 
Angirasa,  Pulastya,  Pulaha,  Kratu,  Bhrigu,  Vasistha,  Daksha,  and 
Narada  are  mentioned  as  the  chief  Prajapatis.  Of  these,  Narada  is 
not  strictly  speaking  a  Prajapati,  or  Lord  of  creation,  as  he  took  no 
part  in  the  work  of  creation,  though  he  is  ^called  so  having  proceed 
ed  from  Mahar  Loka.  Kardama,  Ruchi  and  Visvakarma  are  some  of 
the  other  Prajapatis. 

Of  the  Praj^patis,  seven  form  distinct  types  by  themselves. 
They  preside  over  the  seven  stars,  which  form  the  constellation  of  Great 
Bear.  They  send  forth  their  energies  from  the  plane  of  the  Seven 
Sages,  and  guide  the  course  of  life  evolution  that  takes  place  in 
Triloki.  The  sages  are  relieved  every  Manvantara  by  others  who  take 
up  their  place.  The  seven  sages  of  our  Manvantara,  are  different 
from  the  Prajapatis  of  the  first  Manvantara.  It  is  by  great  sacri 
fices  and  by  great  efforts  that  the  highest  Rishis  of  a  Manvantara 
attain  the  position  of  the  Seven  Sages.  The  Sages  may  become 
Prajapatis,  and  Prajapatis  may  become  Kumaras.  And  men  may 
become  sages,  if  they  follow  the  true  path.  The  grades  that  divide 


t  63  ) 

men  from  sages  or  Rishis  proper  are  many,   and  human  evolution 
proceeds  on  the  line  of  those  grades. 

Energies  of  another  kind  proceeded  from  Mahar  Loka,  energies 
known  as  Devas  and  Asuras.  They  work  out,  or  rather  they  are  inti 
mately  connected  with,  the  tendency  of  life-evolution.  There  is  a 
tendency  in  the  Spiritual  Jiva  to  acquire  experience  of  the  lower 
planes,  through  senses  which  they  develop.  The  Asuras  are  connec 
ted  with  this  tendency.  There  is  the  opposite  tendency  in  the  Jiva  to 
get  rid  of  the  material  taint  and  the  material  restriction  earned 
in  the  efforts  to  acquire  manifold  experiences  and  to  gain  back  the 
original  state  of  purity  after  the  acquisition  of  fresh  sipritual  treasures 
though  the  experiences  of  matter.  The  Devas  are  connected  with 
this  tendency. 

These  are  the  forms  of  life  which  then  come  into  existence 
and  work  out  their  evolution  in  this  Triloki. 

Life  evolution  proceeds  on  two  different  lines — that  of  globes 
and  that  of  individuals.  They  are  represented  by  the  two  sons  of 
Manu — Priyavrata  and  Uttanapada. 

In  the  line  of  Priyavrata  we  find  how  the  globes  were  formed 
in  the  solar  system,  through  various  cosmic  fires  originating  from 
Visvakarma,  how  this  earth  was  formed,  its'  continents  and  coun 
tries.  The  different  divisions  of  the  Bhur  Loka  are  presided  over  by 
different  forms  of  intelligence,  who  are  the  sons  of  Priyavrata. 

In  the  line  of  Uttanapada  we  find  the  different  life  kingdoms 
passing  through  different  stages  of  evolution. 

First  of  all,  we  find  a  limit  is  put  to  life  existence  in  Triloki  by 
Dhruva.  Dhruva,  son  of  Uttanapada,  presides  over  the  Polar  Star. 
That  Star  forms  the  farthest  limit  of  Triloki.  Matter  is  so  attenu 
ated  there  that  it  can  last  for  one  Kalpa.  We  are  speaking  of  a 
period  when  infant  souls  merged  out  to  commence  the  race  of 
life  in  the  present  Kalpa.  They  were  spiritual  and  highly  spiritual 
too.  But  they  were  carried  away  by  the  general  current  of  creative 
tendencies.  They  were  to  limit  themselves  by  sheath  after  sheath,  so 
that  they  might  acquire  the  experiences  of  Svar  Loka,  of  Bhuvar  Loka 
and  of  Bhur  Loka  in  succession.  Dhruva,  the  infant  soul,  a  child  only 
five  years  old,  however,  resisted  the  common  temptation.  He  would 
not  go  down,  for  he  had  an  important  service  to  render  to  the  Uni 
verse.  Who  would  advise  him  in  this  noble  mission  but  Narada. 
Narada  was  out  of  element  when  the  creative  process  was  in  full 
swing,  and  it  was  a  necessity  of  life  evokition.  But  there  were  ins 
tances  of  exception,  instances  of  noble  souls  who  would  not  go  in 


[    64    ] 

with  the  general  current,    but  would  like  to.  remain  fixed  in  spiritual 
life,  and  NSrada  was  always  to  be  found  helping  them  with  his  advice. 

Dhruvsi  remained  fixed  in  his  early  spirituality.  That  was  a 
sacrifice,  for  he  *could  not  enrich  himself  with  furthur  spiritual  ex 
periences,  through  the  senses,  of  the  lower  planes  of  life.  But  he 
had  to  keep  up  an  abode  which  was  to  be  resorted  to  by  evolved  souls 
in  later  days,  souls  that  in  due  course  would  reach  that  high  spiritual 
plane. 

From  that  Kalpic  plane  and  the  dweller  thereof,  we  come  to 
lower  planes  and  their  dwellers,  to  the  divisions  of  time  that  rule  the 
lives  of  individuals  and  of  lives  adapted  to  these  divisions  of  time. 
We  come  from  the  elementals  of  the  Svarga  plane,  or  the  Devas, 
to  the  elementals  of  the  Astral  or  Bhuvar  plaw,  the  Pitris,  Bhutas, 
Pretas  and  Pisachas,  till  we  reach  the  mineral  kingdom,  represented 
by  Himalya,  the  Mountain  king.  At  this  point  a  turning  point  was 
reached  in  life  evolution,  and  the  goddess  of  life-evolution  became 
the  daughter  of  the  Mountain  king.  Of  this  we  shall  know  more 
hereafter. 

We  know  of  Daksha,  first  as  the  son  of  Brahma,  the  creative 
Prajapati  when  the  life-process  rapidly  worked  itself  out  in  Elemental 
forms.  Then  there  was  no  sexual  procreation.  Creation  meant  the 
materialisation  of  the  Jiva.  Sati,  the  daughter  of  Daksha,  was  the  guid 
ing  energy  of  life-evolution.  She  became  wedded  to  Siva,  the  Lord 
of  Bhutas,  Pretas  and  Pisachas  who  by  the  infusion  of  their  Tamasic 
energies  could  bring  down  Jivas  from  their  high  spiritual  plane. 

When  the  process  of  materialisation  was  over,  when  the  Jivas 
or  Monads  reached  the  lowest  limits  of  materiality,  the  mission  of 
Daksha  came  to  an  end. 

Life  evolution  had  now  to  pass  through  mineral,  vegetable  and 
animal  stages,  until  at  last  the  human  stage  was  reached. 

Sati  now  appeared  as  the  daughter  of  the  mineral  king  Hima 
laya.  She  gave  the  upward  bent  to  life  evolution  and  by  the  energy 
she  imparted  minerals  were  able  to  shake  off  the  rigidity  and  stability 
of  gross  matter,  to  develop  the  sense  of  touch  and  to  become  vege 
table  at  last.  In  liek  manner  vegetable  became  animal,  and  animals 
at  last  became  men. 

Siva,  the  husband  of  Bhagavati  or  Durga,  as  Sati  was  now 
called,  is  the  Purusha  of  Dissolution.  Bhagavati  is  His  Energy,  Who 
guides  the  Monadic  or  Jiva  Evolution  of  the  Kalpa.  It  is  the  wear 
and  tear,  the  process  of  destruction,  that  counteracts  the  cohesive 


t  65  ] 

strength  of  the  particles  /orming  mineral  matter,  which  by  its  action 
becomes  flexible  and  so  receptive  of   outside  influences. 

Cells  by  division  and  death  become  capable  of  the  Jife  process  in 
themselves.  Vegetables  grow  by  the  rejection  of  celte,  which  neces 
sitates  a  number  of  physiological  processes.  Death  brings  on  life, 
waste,  repair. 

If  animals  exist  in  one  and  the  same  body,  progress  will  be 
limited,  further  evolution  will  be  impossible.  It  is  by  death  that  we 
evolve. 

Bhagavat!  works  out  the  evolution  of  life  in  different  king 
doms  till  the  stage  of  humanity  is  reached. 

At  this  point  Aryaman,  one  of  the  Adityas,  comes  to  the  help  of 
humanity.  Through  his  influence  the  sons  of  humanity  become 
endowed  with  the  power  of  reasoning, — the  faculty  of  discrimi 
nation. 

The  sons  of  Aryaman  are  called  Charshanis.  The  word  Charshani 
literally  means  a  cultivator.  Its  secondary  sense  given  in  the  Vedic 
lexicon  is  one  endowed  with  the  discriminative  faculty.  The  word 
Charshani  is  used  in  the  Vedas  for  man.  It  is  the  equivalent  of 
Arya  or  Aryan,  the  ploughman.  But  it  is  not  as  ploughmen  or-  culti 
vators,  that  the  Aryans  had  their  high  place  in  humanity,  but  as  men 
endowed  with  the  power  of  discrimination.  And  this  we  owe  to 
Aryaman.  This  is  why,  though  an  Aditya,  he  is  called  the  chief  of 
Pitris  by  Sri  Krishna. 

"  I  am  Aryaman  of  the  Pitris." 

Bhagavat  Gita. 

We' have  thus  the  first  stage  in  life  evolution,  when  the  spiritual 
Jiva  had  to  descend  from  the  elemental  to  the  mineral  form.  Next 
we  have  the  second  stage,  when  minerals  passed  through  higher  forms 
of  life  till  the  Human  Kingdom  was  reached. 

Then  we  have  the  third  stage,  when  men  became  endowed  with 
the  power  of  discrimination. 

In  the  exercise  of  the  discriminative  faculty  men  were  helped  by 
their  elder  brothers,  the  Rishis  and  Mahatmas  of  every  period,  and 
by  Avataras  Who  apeared  from  time  to  time. 

Then  the  ground  was  prepared  for  further  evolution.  The  Sacred 

Injunctions  or  the  Vedas  were  revealed  to  men  to  give  them  a  sense 

of  right  and  wrong,  of  duties  and  prohibitions.     The  Vedas  also  held 

out  to  the  developed  sense  of  men  the  charming  prospect  of  life  in 

9 


t    66    ] 

Svarga  Loka  with  its  lasting  and  alluring  enjoyments.  This  may  be 
called  the  stage  of  Karma  Kanda.  In  following  the  stages  of  human 
evolution  we  have  come  down  to  Vaivasvatu  Manvantara. 

Side  by  vside  with  the  efforts  made  to  raise  humanity  in  the 
scal'e  of  evolution,  sin  was  accumulating  in  the  great  Atlantean  con 
tinent  which  spread  over  the  whole  of  what  we  now  know  as  the  Bay 
of  Bengal.  The  Atlanteans  had  acquired  a  mastery  over  the  five 
forces  of  nature,  which  they  used  for  selfish  objects  and  against  the 
cause  and  current  of  evolution. 

Then  there  was  a  great  revolution  in  Nature.  The  great 
Atlantean  Continent  went  down  with  its  load  of  sins.  The  sons  of 
Sagar,  the  Atlantean  king,  became  buried  under  the  great  ocean, 
which  overtook  the  doomed  continent,  and  to  this  day  the  sea  is 
called  in  India,  "Sagar"  or  relating  to  Sagar. 

There  was  a  corresponding  upheaval  in  the  Himalayas,  and  the 
sacred  river  Ganga  streamed  forth  from  their  sides,  inaugurating  the 
spiritual  regeneration  of  the  Universe.  Much  of  what  we  now  know 
as  India  must  have  been  raised  up  at  the  time,  and  on  its  sacred  soil 
appeared  the  great  Avatara  Rama,  Who  put  an  end  to  the  disorganis 
ing,  chaos-loving  sons  of  Lanka.  The  people  of  Lanka  were  called 
Rakshasas  as  they  were  working  towards  the  destruction  of  all  order, 
all  progress  in  the  Universe,  and  rendered  everything  topsy-turvy 
in  Nature. 

Now  it  was  time  for  Sri  Krishna  to  appear,  the  greatest  of  all 
Avataras  in  our  Kalpa,  Who  gave  the  last  bent  to  the  progress  of 
humanity.  He  wedded  Himself  with  all  the  principles  that  enter  into 
the  constitution  of  man,  so  that  man  may  come  up  to  Him.  He 
taught  the  basic  unity  of  all  beings,  and  laid  down  the  path  of  Service 
and  Devotion.  He  established  the  reign  of  spiritual  life,  and  ever 
since  His  lotus  feet  sanctified  the  soil  of  India,  the  Scriptures  only 
re-iterate  His  teachings,  and  they  all  sing  His  glory  for  ever  and 
ever.  We  shall  find  in  its  true  place  the  Service  done  by  Lord  Sri 
Krishna,  and  how  by  His  Avatarship  humanity  has  made  one  more 
advance  in  the  scale  of  human  evolution.  When  the  Lord  appeared, 
Bhagavati  made  her  appearance  too  as  the  daughter  of  Nanda.  It  is 
with  Her  energy  that  Sri  Krishna  performed  the  mission  of  His 
Avatarship  . 

This  is  a  bare  outline  of  what  the  Tables  teach  us.  We  shall 
consider  them  each  in  its  own  place.  We  shall  find  a  detailed  account 
as  to  how  the  Universe  is  preserved.  We  shall  hear  of  great  Rishis,  of 
many  Avataras,  of  the  part  played  by  Devas  and  Asurus.  We  shall 


[    67    ] 

see  how  the  Monads  pass  through  different  stages  of  evoftitioti,  till 
the  idea  of  perfect  humanity  is  presented  by  Lord  Krishna. 

The  Tables  sometimes  speak  of  life  Kingdoms,  sometimes  of 
human  races,  sometimes  of  types  and  principles,  aad  sometimes  of 
individuals.  Sometimes,  the  names  used  convey  a  good  deal  of 
hidden  meaning,  sometimes  they  are  used  at  random. 

In  the  line  of  Priyavratra,  we  find  how  globes  are  formed,  how 
continents  and  countries  appear.  The  solidification  of  earth  is  indi 
cated  by  the  muteness  of  Bharata.  Bharata  Varsa  or  India  is  called 
the  first  born  of  all  countries,  and  other  lands  are  enjoined  to  follow 
and  to  obey  their  eldest  brother. 


TABLE  A. 

SKANDHA  IV.  CHAP.  i. 
The  names  of  the  first  table  have  been  considered  before. 

_,„;_ 

TABLE  B. 
SKANDHA  IV.  CHAP.  i. 

Ruchi  and  Akuti  both  mean  Wish,  Desire.  Yajna  is  sacrifice. 
Dakshina  means  ordinarily  the  present  made  to  a  Brahmana  for 
officiating  at  a  ceremony.  It  is  also  the  present  made  for  the  perform 
ance  of  a  Vedic  sacrifice.  No  Vedic  sacrifice  is  complete  without 
the  present  of  Dakshin£  to  the  officiating  priest.  DakshinS.  was 
married  to  Yajna,  for  they  are  inseparable.  Possibly  Yajna  has 
reference  to  the  elemental  or  Devic  character  of  life  forms  in  the  first 
Manvantara.  That  also  explains  why  there  was  no  Indra  separate 
from  the  Avatara  of  the  Manvantara. 

The  first  Manvantara  was  one  of  Pravritti  or  Descent.  Spirit 
could  descend  into  matters  only  with  the  help  of  Desire.  Desire  is 
the  father  of  Kama  —  Kama  is  the  characterestic  of  Vedic  Yajna. 
Yajna  therefore  guided  the  First  Manvantara.  He  was  the  Avatara 
of  Vishnu'  as  well  as  the  Indra  of  the  Devas. 

The  sons  of  Yajna  were  the  Devas  of  the  First  Manvantara. 
The  Bhagavata  calls  them  Sushita  or  Bliss  gods.  The  Vishnu  Purana 
calls  them  Yama  Devas.  The  Manvantara  Devas  have  for  their 
mission  the  carrying  out  of  the  cyclic  work  of  the  Manvantara. 


[    <»  I 

TABLE  C. 
SKANDHA  IV.  CHAP.  i. 

Marichi  means  literally  a  ray  of  light.  The  word  is  frequently 
applied  to  the  sun's  ray.  As  the  sun's  ray  breaks  up  into  the  com 
ponent  colours,  so.  the  line  of  Marichi  broke  up  into  the  life  kingdoms. 
Kala  means  a  digit  of  the  moon.  Kasyapa  was  the  son  of  Marichi 
and  Kala.  He  married  the  13  daughters  of  Daksha,  in  the  line 
Uttanapada.  By  his  wives,  Kasyapa  was  the  father  of  Suras  and 
Asuras,  of  elementals,  vegetables,  animals  and  men.  He  is  directly 
connected  with  the  Monads.  Marichi  and  Kala  have  a  special  signi 
ficance  in  reference  to  Jivic  evolution.  Does  the  pair  symbolise  the 
sun's  ray  reflected  on  the  Moon  or  the  Atmic  ray  reflected  on  Buddhi? 
Any  how  Marichi  and  Kala  imply  the  divine  ray  in  the  Jivas  or  Atma- 
Buddhi. 

The  monads  of  individuals  are  limited  by  the  shells  or  bodies 
of  Kasyapa's  line.  (The  word  Kasyapa  means  primarily  bed,  seat). 
They  come  through  Purnima,  daughter  of  Marichi.  The  sons  of 
Purnima  are  Viraja  and  Visvaga. 

Viraja  is  free  from  Rajas.  Visvaga  means  one  who  goes  all  over 
the  Universe.  Viraja  and  Visvaga  are  Universal  aspects  of  Jivic  In 
telligence. 

(Viraja  is  the  father  of  Vairajas).  Devakulya  is  the  daughter 
of  Purnima.  She  flowed  from  the  washings  of  the  feet  of  Vishnu  and 
became  the  divine  river  Ganga. 


TABLE  D. 
SKANDHA  IV.  CHAP.  r. 

=  #   (not )  +  /;-/'  (three).      Not   three,    but   three    in    one* 

(not  }  +  astiyd  (envy,  intolerance,  jealousy). 
Atri  made  severe  Tapas  for  one  hundred   years    for  a  son  like 
unto  the   Lord   of  the   Universe.     The  ascetic  fire  at  last  broke  forth 
from  his  head  and  instantly  Brahma,  Vishnu    and   Siva  appeared  be 
fore  him. 

"  Lords!"    said   Atri,    "  I  had  only  one  of  you  in  my  mind,  but 
you  have  all  Three  come  to  me !" 

The  Trinity  replied:— "We  are  three  in  one.      You  shall  have 
three  sons,  one  after  each  of  us." 


[     69     ] 

Anasuya  begot  Soma  or  the  Moon  after  BrahmA,  t)atta  or 
Dattatreya  after  Vishnu  and  Durvasas  after  Siva. 

[The  Moon  is  thus  a  sort  of  Brahma  or  creator  to 'the  present 
Kalpa.] 

Atri  represents  the  Creative,  the  Preservative  and  the  Des 
tructive  Intelligence  in  the  individual,  all  united  to  carry  out  the  com 
plex  process  of  evolution. 

The  Brihat  Aranyaka  certainly  refers  to  one  of  his  aspects  in 
the  following  passage  : — 

"  Speech  is  Attri ;  for  by  speech  food  is  consumed  ;  for  Attri  is 
verily  derived  from  the  root  Attih  (to  eat,  consume);  he  is  the  con 
sumer  of  all."  II-2-4. 


TABLE  E. 

"  Where  was  he,  who  thus  established  us  ?  He  is  within  the 
mouth  ;  hence  is  Ay^sya.  He  is  Angirasa,  because  he  is  the  essence 
of  the  members."  Brihat  Aranyaka  1-3-8. 

Commenting  on  this  passage  Sankaracharya  says  : — "  Life  is 
also  called  Angirasa,  the  essence  of  causes  and  effects.  Angirasa  is  a 
compound  of  Anga  and  Rasa — Anga  meaning  members,  causes,  and 
effects,  and  Rasa  essence,  substance ;  the  whole  meaning  therefore  is 
the  substance,  upon  which  causes  and  effects  depend — It  is  the  essence 
of  every  thing,  because  unless  it  were  present,  all  would  become  with 
out  effect." 

"  He  who  abides  in  the  mouth  is  Angirasa,  for  he  is  the  es 
sence  (Rasa)  of  the  members  (Anga).  Life  is  the  essence  of  the  mem 
bers This  is  also  Brihaspati.  Speech  is  Brihati.  Life  is  the 

preserver  (pati)  of  Brihati,  therefore  it  is  Brihaspati." 

B.  A.  I-3-IQ  and  20. 

Brihaspati  or  the  presiding  deity  of  the  planet  Jupiter  is  call 
ed  Angirasa  /.  e.  the  son  of  Angiras.  The  wife  of  Angiras  is,  accord 
ing  to  the  Bhagavata,  Sraddha  or  Faith,  and,  according  to  Vishnu 
Purana,  Smriti  or  Memory.  The  latter  is  a  more  suggestive  name. 
Brihaspati  or  Jupiter  is  the  essence  of  all  beings  and  of  the  Universe 
and  is  connected  with  the  memory  of  the  past. 

Angirasa  is  the  Rishi  of  the  9th  Mandala  of  the  Rig  Veda. 
The  Mantras  of  that  Mandala  are  composed  in  the  Brihati  or  big 
Metre.  This  accounts  for  the  name  Brihaspati  (Brihati -f  pati). 


t     70    ] 

Brihaspati  or  Juptier,  as  the  guide  of  the  Devas,  has  to  play  a 
most  important  part  in  bringing  about  the  life  evolution  of  the  pre 
sent  Kalpa  according  to  the  records  of  the  past  and  the  essence  or 
Rasa  of  all  beings.  The  Aranyaka  therefore  calls  him  life  itself. 

Utathya,  another  son  of  Angiras,  is  u  +  tathya.  U  is  an  in 
terjection,  used  as  an  expletive—  Tathya  means  reality,  truth  — Ut 
athya  is  said  to  be  an  incarnation  of  Vishnu.  Both  the  brothers  are 
said  to  have  distinguished  themselves  in  the  Second  Manvantara. 
Sinlvdli  is  the  day  preceding  that  of  new  moon  or  that  day  on  which 
the  moon  rises  with  a  scarcely  visible  crescent.  Kuhd  is  new  moon 
day  when  the  moon  is  altogether  invisible. 

Rdkd  is  the  full  moon  day. 

Anumati  is  the  I5th  day  of  the  moon's  age  on  which  she  rises 
one  digit  less  than  full. 

The  full  moon  and  new  moon  days  have  thus  a  mysterious 
connection  with  the  essence  of  all  beings.  On  those  days  the  herbs 
have  their  medicinal  properties  in  full  and  even  men  have  mysterious 
potencies,  which  have  formed  the  subject  of  occult  study. 


TABLE  F. 


Pulastya  = 

Pula  is  large,  wide  .     It  also  means  a  thrill  of  joy  or  fear. 
Stya  is  he  who  collects,  is  connected  with,  remains  in. 
Agastya  =  Aga  -f  Stya. 

Aga  is  mountain,  unable  to  walk,  fixed. 

According  to  a  Pauranik  legend,  the  Vindhya  mountain  began 
to  rise  higher  and  higher  so  as  to  obstruct  the  path  of  the  sun  and 
moon.  The  gods  being  alarmed  sought  the  aid  of  Agastya  who  was 
the  teacher  of  Vindhya.  .  The  Rishi  approached  the  mountain  and 
asked  it  to  bend  down  and  give  him  an  easy  passage  to  the  south 
and  to  retain  the  same  position  till  his  return.  Vindhya  obeyed  the 
order  of  his  teacher,  but  Agastya  never  returned  from  the  south  and 
Vindhya  never  attained  the  height  of  Meru. 

According  to  the  Bhagavata,  Agastya  is  the  digestive  fire  of  the 
stomach. 

Visravas=  Vi  (  signifying  intensity  )-f  Sravas  (  ear  ). 

Kubera  is  literally  deformed.  He  is  the  god  of  riches  and  Re 
gent  of  the  North.  He  is  the  king  of  the  Yakshas  and  Kinnaras  and  a 


friend  of  Rudra.  His  abode  is  Kailasa.  He  is  represented  Its  having 
three  legs,  only  eight  teeth  and  a  yellow  mark  in  place  of  one  eye. 

Havana,  Kumbhakarna  and  Vibhishana  are  Rak§hasas  made 
famous  by  the  Ramayana. 

Rclvana  is  one  who  makes  a  loud  noise.  The  Rakshasas  reach 
ed  the  height  of  their  power  in  his  time.  The  Yakshas,  before  his 
time,  had  occupied  Lanka  or  Atlantis  under  Kubera,  but  Ravana  pro 
pitiated  Siva  by  his  loud  hymns,  and  acquired  easy  mastery  over  his 
kindred  elementais.  He  ousted  the  Yakshas  from  Lanka  and  made 
it  his  own  capital.  Ravana  also  controlled  the  higher  Devas  of  Tri- 
loki. 

Kumbha  — karna  =  Kumbha  (  pitcher  )  +  Kama  (ear).  This 
pitcher-eared  brother  of  Ravana  is  said  to  have  devoured  thousands 
of  beings  including  sages  and  heavenly  nymphs.  He  slept  for  six 
months  at  a  time.  He  was  ultimately  slain  by  Rama. 

Vibhisana,  meaning  the  Terrible,  left  his  brother  Ravana  and 
joined  Rama.  After  the  death  of  Ravana,  Rama  installed  him  on  the 
throne  of  Lanka.  He  is  said  to  be  still  living. 

The  RAkshasas  are  said  to  have  possessed  Kama  Rupa  /.  e.  they 
could  assume  any  body  at  will. 

In  the  line  of  Pulastya  we  have  this  strange  combination — the 
digestive  fire  of  stomach,  ears,  Yakshas  and  lastly  the  Rakshasas  who 
could  change  their  body  at  will.  Altogether  we  may  say,  Pulastya  is 
Intelligence  which  governs  animal  passions  and  Kama. 

TABLE  G. 

Pulaha  =  Pula  + ha.     Ha  is  one  who  gives  up. 

Gati  is  motion. 

Karma-Srestha  is  one  most  skilled  in  karma  or  work. 

Variyas  is  excellent,  preferable. 

Sahishnu  is  patient,  enduring. 

Pulaha  seems  to  be  the  higher  aspect  of  Kama -the  impulses 
pure  and  simple,  apart  from  their  Kamic  generator,  or  perhaps  Pulaha 
may  represent  Pranic  activity. 

TABLE  H. 

Ktatu  is  a  Vedic  sacrifice,  intelligence,  power,  ability, 
is  action, 


[      72      ] 

BAlakhityas — are  a  class  of  Rishis  60,000  jn  number,  of  the  size  of 
the  thumb,  and  are  said  to  precede  the  sun's  chariot.  The  word 
literally  implies  stunted  in  growth  like  infants.  These  Rishis 
are  said  to  burn  brightly  with  the  spiritual  fire  of  asceticism. 
The  number  60,000  is  significant.  It  indicates  a  correspon 
dence. 

Perhaps  the  Rishis  represent  the  sense  perceptions  which  are 
guided  by  the  Adhidevas  who  have  their  abode  in  the  heart  of  the 
sun.  The  Balakhilya  Rishis  are  therefore  said  to  accompany  the 
sun's  chariot.  Their  connection  with  Vedic  sacrifices  is  also  intelligible, 
as  they  are  generally  directed  to  the  Adhidevas. 


TABLE  I. 

Vasistha  is  the  Controller.  He  is  the  spiritual  teacher  of  the 
Solar  Race  and  represents  spiritual  Intelligence  or  Higher  Manas. 
He  is  the  controller  of  the  senses  and  the  lower  mind. 

Urja  is  Energy.     She  is  also  called  ArundhatJ. 


TABLE  J. 

Atharvan  —  The  Veda  called  by  that  name. 

Dadhichi  —  The  name  of  a  Rishi  who  accepted  death  in  order  to  serve 

the  Devas.      Visvakarman   forged   the  thunderbolt  with  his 

bones  and  Indra  defeated  Vritra,  the  Asura  King,  with  that 

weapon. 

The   line   of   Atharvan  represents  self  sacrifice  for  universal 

good  as  well  as  magic  or  occult  wisdom. 


TABLE  K. 

^\s  the  Dweller  of  Mahar  Loka,  or  the  Archetypal  plane. 
Upon  the  Pralaya  of  Triloki,  the  essence  of  that  triple  plane 
and  its  Karma  become  embedded  in  Mahar  Loka.  The 
creative  process  sets  in  again  in  strict  conformity  to  the 
Karma  of  the  past. 
Bhrigu  is  therefore  father  of: — 

Dhatti — or  Universal  Karma 

Vidhdta — or  Individual  Karma,  and 

Sri  or  Lakshmi — the    wife    of    Vishnu,   the   Energy   of 
Preservation. 


[     73     ] 

Ayati — or  potency  is  the  wife  of  Dhata.    Mrikandu  and   M arkandeya 

are  in  this  line. 
Niyati — or  fate,  is  the  wife  of  Vidhata.    Prana  and  Vedasiras  are   in 

this  line. 

Kavi — is  another  son  of  Bhrigu  and  Usanas  or  Sukra  is  Kavi's  son. 
But  according  to  some  authorities  Kavi  is  the  same  as  Usanas. 
It  is  a  matter  for  reflection  how  Sukra  or  the  presiding  Rishi 
of  the  planet  Venus  is  connected  with  Mahar  Loka  or  the 
trans-personal  plane.  Mahar  Loka  is  the  first  approach  to 
universality  and  therefore  may  correspond  to  Higher  Manas. 
However  that  be,  Venus  corsesponds  to  the  first  plane  of 
universality. 

The  consideration  of  Tables  C  to  K  has  proved  to  be  an  in 
teresting  one.  But  readers  are  requested  to  remember  that  this  is  a 
mere  study  by  an  inquiring  student  and  they  are  left  to  think  for 
themselves.  I  might  have  dwelt  at  some  length  on  this  portion  of 
the  subject,  but  that  would  be  going  beyond  the  scope  of  the  present 
work. 

Briefly  Speaking  then, 

Marichi — is  Monadic  ray  or  Atma — Buddhi, 

Atri — is  the  adjustment  of  the  creative,  preservative  and  destructive 
tendencies  in  a  Jiva, 

Angiras — is  the  Essence  of  Creation,  the  auric  repository  of  the  Jiva, 

Pulastya — is  Kamic  Intelligence, 

Pulaha — is  higher  Kamic  Intelligence,  or  it  may  be  Pranic  also, 

Kratu — is  lower  Manasic  Intelligence, 

V asishtha—>\s  Higher  Manasic  Intelligence. 


TABLE  L. 

Daksha — is  the  Able. 

Pmstiti — is  the  Mother,  the  Procreative  Energy.     During  the  First 

Manvantara  Daksha  had  nothing  to  do  with  sexual  procreation. 

He  was  the   father  of  16   primal   energies.     These   energies 

were   wedded    to   Dharma,    Agni,   the  Pitris  and  Siva — 13  to 

Dharma  and  one  to  each  of  the  others. 
Dharma — is  that  which  binds  the  creation.     Man  and   man,  man  and 

animal,   animal  and   animal,   all   forms  of  creation  are  kept 

together  by  Dharma.     The  binding'forces  of  creation  are  the 

wives  of  Dharma, 
10 


[     74     1 

Sraddhd  vor  Faith  is  the  first  wife  of  Dharroa.  Her  son  is  Satya  or 
Truth. 

Maitrt  or  Friendliness  is  the  second  wife.  Her  son  is  Ptasdda  or 
complacence. 

Dayd  or  compassion  is  the  third  wife.  Her  son  is  Abhaya  or  Free 
dom  from  fear. 

Sdnti  or  Peace  is  the  fourth  wife.     Her  son  is  Sama  or  Tranquility. 

The  fifth  wife  is  Tushti  or  contentment.     Her  son  is  Harsha  or  joy. 

The  sixth  wife  is  Pushti  or  Fulness.     Her  son  is  Garva  or  Pride. 

The  seventh  wife  is  Kriyd.     Her  son  is  Yoga. 

The  eighth  wife  is  Unnati  or  Advancement.  Her  son  is  Darpa  or 
Vanity. 

The  nintrrwife  is  BuddhL     Her  son  is  Artha. 

The  tenth  wife  is  Medhd  or  Intellect.     Her  son  is  Smtiti  or  Memory. 

The  eleventh  wife  is  Titikshd  or  Forbearance.  Her  son  is  Kshema 
or  Well-being. 

The  twelvth  wife  is  Lajjd  or  Shame.     Her  son  is  Vinaya  or  Modesty. 

The  thirteenth  and  last  wife  of  Dharma  is  MArti  or  Form.  Her  sons 
are  Nara  and  Narayana,  i.  e.  Humanity  and  .Divinity.  The 
Human  Form  constitute  a  Duality.  It  is  in  this  dual  form 
that  Sri  Krishna  incarnated  Himself. 

From  Dharma  we  pass  to  Agni. 

[Agni  is  used  in  many  senses.  It  means  the  channel  of  communication 
between  different  kingdoms  in  nature,  specially  between  Man 
and  Deva,  as  also  a  vehicle  of  consciousness,  and  sometimes 
consciousness  itself.  It  also  means  the  Rupa  or  form-giving 
principle  in  the  Universe.  It  is  frequently  used  in  the  Puranas 
in  the  last  sense.] 

Agni  was  wedded  to  Svdhd^  the  I4th.  daughter  of  Daksha.    His  three 

sons  are  Pdvaka  or   the  Purifier,  Pavamdn  or  that  which   is 

being  purified  and   Sdchi  or  Pure.     They  have  45   sons  who 

with  their  fathers  and  grandfather  form  the    Forty-nine  Fires. 

•  They  are  separately   mentioned   in    the   Vedic    Sacrifices  in 

honour  of  Agni. 
Svadhd  is  the  1 5th.  daughter  of  Daksha.  She  was  married  to  the 

Pitris.     Agnishvatva,  Barhishad,  Somapa  and  Ajyapa  are  the  names 

of  the  Pitris.     They  are  with  fire  (Sagni)  or  without   fire   (  Niragini ). 

Svadha  bore  two  daughters  to  the  Pitris,  Vayun£  and  Dh^rini.    Both 

of  them  were  well-versed  in  the  Supreme  wisdom. 

[  VayAnd  is  knowledge,  wisdom,  faculty  of  perception.      Dhd- 

rini  means  that  which  bears,  holds,  carries,  supports.     Sometimes  the 

word  is  used  to  mean  the  earth. 


[    75    1 

This  two-fold  classification  means  that  some  of    the  ?itris  gi< 
the  body,  which  is  the  receptacle  or  carrier,  with  its  sub-divisions,   and 
others  give  knowledge,  wisdom  and  the  faculties  of  perception]. 

Sati  is  the  last  daughter  of  Daksha.    She  was  wedded  to  Siva. 
We  shall  specially  notice  her  in  the  succeeding  chapter. 


THE  QUARREL  BETWEEN  SIVA  AND  DAKSHA. 
SKANDHA  IV.,  CHAP.  2. 

Of  old  the  Prajapaties  performed  a  Yajna,  and  the  Devas  and 
Rishis  all  graced  the  occasion  with  their  presence.  Prajapati  Daksha 
entered  the  assembly,  when  all  stood  up  to  receive  him,  except  Brah 
ma  and  Siva.  Daksha  saluted  his  father  Brahm&  and  with  His 
permission  took  a  seat.  But  he  was  so  mortified  by  the  conduct  of 
Siva  that  he  could  not  contain  himself,  and  indignantly  broke  forth 
thus  : — "  O  you,  Rishis,  Devas  and  Agni !  Witness  this  disgrace 
ful  conduct  of  Siva — my  own  son-in-law,  rather  my  disciple.  This 
senseless  being  would  not  do  so  much  as  rise  up  and  receive  me. 
He  has  no  sense  of  respect  and  dis-respect,  of  purity  and  impur 
ity.  He  is  mindless  of  all  injunctions  and  observances.  Do  you 
know,  what  he  does  ?  He  roves  like  a  mad  man  in  the  crematories, 
with  his  host  of  Bhutas,  Pretas  and  Pisachas,  sometimes  laughing, 
sometimes  weeping,  his  body  covered  over  with  the  ashes  of  dead 
bodies,  their  bones  serving  for  his  ornaments.  His  name  is  Siva 
(  auspicious  ).  But  he  is  really  A-Siva  (  inauspicious  ).  He  is  fond 
of  intoxication,  and  his  companions  are  the  impure  and  senseless 
Bhutas.  Oh  !  that  I  have  given  my  daughter  Sati  in  marriage  to  him. 
That  was  simply  to  obey  the  orders  of  Brahma." 

Siva  remained  unmoved.  Daksha  went  on  abusing  Him  and 
at  last  he  cursed  Siva  saying  "This  vilest  of  Devas  shall  not  parti 
cipate  in  the  sacrificial  offerings  to  Indra,  Upendra  and  others."  He 
then  left  the  place  in  a  rage. 

Nandisvara,  the  chief  companion  of  Siva,  could  not  bear  the 
gross  and  wanton  insult  done  to  his  master.  He  retorted  in  angry  tones 
the  unkind  words  of  Daksha  and  the  approbation  of  some  of  the 
councillors.  "  Siva  bears  malice  to  none.  It  is  Daksha  who  makes 
differences,  where  there  are  none.  Ignorant  people  follow  him  and 
blame  Siva.  The  Vedas  deal  with  transitory  objects.  Worldly 
attachments  receive  an  impetus  from  the  K^rma  Kanda  of  the  Vedas 
and  they  beget  vices  and  evil  deeds.  This  Daksha  looks  upon  the 


[    76    ] 

body  as  tue  soul.  He  shall  be  as  fond  of  vyomen  as  a  beast  and  his 
face  shall  he  that  of  an  Aja  (goat).  Verily  he  deserves  this,  as  he 
looks  upon  Avidya  as  Tatvavidya.  He  publicly  insults  Siva.  The 
Brahmanas  whq_  follow  him  shall  go  through  the  repeated  course  of 
births  and  deaths  and  shall  resort  to  the  apparently  pleasing  Karma 
Kanda  of  the  Vedas.  These  Brahmanas  shall  have  no  scruples  to 
eat  anything  and  they  shall  make  a  profession  of  their  learning,  their 
Tapas  and  their  austerities  (Vrata).  They  shall  consider  their  riches, 
their  body  and  their  Indriyas  to  be  all  in  all.  They  shall  beg  about 
from  door  to  door." 

Bhrigu,  the  leader  of  the  Brahmanas,  thus  returned  the  curses 
of  Nandi  on  the  followers  of  Siva  : — "  Those  that  will  follow  Siva,  shall 
be  disregardful  of  the  Sat  (real)  Sastras  and  shall  be  irreligious. 
With  braids  of  hair  on  their  head,  and  ashes  and  bones  round  their 
body,  they  shall  frequent  places  where  wine  is  indulged  in.  The 
Vedas  have  at  all  times  laid  down  the  approved  path.  The  Rishis 
of  old  followed  their  injunctions  and  Narayana  is  at  their  very  root. 
Those  that  forget  all  this  shall  only  attain  the  Tamasic  Siva,  the 
Lord  of  Bhutas  and  Pishachas." 

Siva  with  his  followers  then  left  the  place.  The  Prajapatis 
performed  the  Yajna  for  1,000  years. 

Sometime  after,  Brahma  made  Daksha  the  head  of  the  Praja 
patis,  and  his  pride  knew  no  bounds.  He  commenced  a  sacrifice  called 
Vrihaspati  Yajna  and  to  it  he  invited  all  except  Siva  and  his  own 
daughter  Sati.  Sati  heard  of  the  grand  preparations  made  by  her 
father  and  became  impatient  to  witness  the  Yajna  herself.  Siva  at 
last  yielded  to  her  expostulations  much  against  His  own  will.  She 
left  for  Daksha's  house  accompanied  by  the  attendants  of  Siva.  At 
last  she  reached  her  father's  house  and  went  to  the  place  of  sacrifice. 
But  her  father  would  not  receive  her.  She  did  not  find  any  offering 
to  Siva.  She  could  easily  make  out  that  Daksha  had  disregarded  her 
husband.  No  attention  was  also  paid  to  her.  She  grew  furious  with 
rage  and  addressing  her  father  said  : — "With  Siva,  all  are  equal.  He 
has  enmity  with  none.  Who  else  but  thee  could  be  envious  of  his 
virtues  ?  Thou  hast  attributed  evil  things  to  Siva.  But  do  not  the 
Devas  know  all  that  and  knowingly  worship  Him  ?  If  the  devoted 
wife  cannot  kill  her  husband's  calumniators,  she  must  leave  the  place 
with  ears  closed  with  her  hands.  But  if  she  is  strong  enough,  she 
must  in  the  first  place  sever  the  tongue  of  the  calumniator  from  his 
body  by  force  and  then  put  an  end  to  herself.  Thou  art  the  calum 
niator  of  Siva.  This  my  body  is  from  thee,  so  I  shall  not  keep  it 


I    77    J 

any  longer.  If  prohibited. food  is  taken,  the  best  thing  is  to"'  throw  it 
out.  True,  there  are  the  two  Paths  of  Inclination  (Pravritti)  and  of 
Renunciation  (  Nivritti  ).  But  one  cannot  adopt  both  the  Paths  at  one 
and  the  same  time.  What  action  is  there  for  Siva  ?,  He  is  Brahma 
Himself.  Thou  speakest  of  His  ashes  and  bones.  But  hast  thou  any 
idea  of  His  Yogic  powers,  in  comparison  with  which  thy  powers  as  a 
performer  of  Vedic  sacrifices  are  nothing  ?  But  there  is  no  use  wrang 
ling  with  thee.  I  am  ashamed  of  this  body  which  has  connection 
with  thee.  The  sooner  I  get  rid  of  it  the  better." 

So  saying  Sati  gave  up  her  body,  and  there  was  great  uproar. 
Her  attendants  made  ready  for  an  attack,  when  Bhirgu,  who  acted  as 
Adhvaryu,  invoked  the  Ribhus.  They  appeared  and  beat  the  attend 
ants  of  Siva,  who  ran  away  on  all  sides. 

Narada  informed  Siva  of  what  had  happened.  Siva  bit  His 
lips  in  anger  and  tore  up  a  Jata  (  matted  hairtuft )  from  his  head. 
The  Jata  glowed  with  electric  fire. 

He  threw  it  down  on  the  earth  and  the  terrible  Virabhadra 
sprang  from  it.  His  tall  body  reached  the  high  heavens.  He  was 
dark  as  the  clouds.  He  had  one  thousand  hands,  three  eyes  burning 
like  the  sun,  teeth  terrible  to  look  at,  and  tufts  of  hair  bright  as  fire. 
He  had  a  garland  of  human  skulls  round  his  neck  and  there  were 
various  weapons  in  his  hands. 

"What  are  thy  behests,  O  Lord?"  exclaimed  Virabhadra. 
"  Thou  art  clever  in  fight,  child,  thou  hast  nothing  to  fear  from  the 
Brahmanas,  for  verily  thou  art  part  of  myself.  Go  forth  at  the  head 
of  my  army.  Put  an  end  to  Daksha  and  his  Yajna."  Such  was  the 
command  of  Siva.  Virabhadra  rushed  forth  with  trident  in  hand,  and 
the  attendants  of  Siva  followed  him  with  enthusiasm  and  noise.  The 
priests,  the  Brahmanas  and  their  wives  present  at  Daksha's  sacrifice 
saw  a  huge  dust  storm,  as  it  were,  coming  from  the  north.  "  Can  it 
be  the  hurricane  "  ?  thought  they,  "  but  the  wind  is  not  strong.  Can 
this  be  the  march  of  robbers  ?  But  King  Prachinabarhi  is  still  alive. 
In  his  reign  there  is  no  fear  from  robbers.  No  one  is  driving  cattle. 
What  can  be  the  cause  of  this  approaching  volume  of  dust "?  The  at 
tendants  of  Siva  arrived  in  no  time.  Some  of  them  were  brown  colo 
ured,  some  yellow.  Some  had  their  belly,  some  their  face,  like 
Makara.  They  broke  the  implements  of  sacrifice  and  scattered  them 
around.  They  pulled  down  the  buildings  and  put  out  the  fires.  They 
made  all  sorts  of  sacrilege,  ran  after  the  Rishis  and  Devas  and  fright 
ened  the  women.  ManimAn  caught  hold  of  Bhrigu  and  tied  him  up. 


[     78     ] 

VirabhadYa  captured  Daksha  ;  Chandesa  captured  Suryya  and  Nandi- 
svara  captured  Bhaga.  Seeing  this,  the  other  Brahmanas  and  Devas 
took  to  flight,  but  they  were  grievously  hurt  by  the  stones  cast  at 
them  by  the  followers  of  Siva.  Virabhadra  began  to  uproot  the 
beard  of  Bhrigu,  for  while  scoffing  Siva  he  made  his  beard  prominent. 
Nandishvara  pulled  out  the  two  eye-balls  of  Bhaga,  for  he  had 
encouraged  Daksha  by  side  glances.  Virabhadra  did  not  also  spare 
Pushan,  and  pulled  out  all  his  teeth.  Pushan  had  showed  his  teeth 
while  smiling  in  approval  of  Daksha's  abuse.  But  the  crowning  act 
of  Virabhadra  was  still  to  come.  He  sprang  upon  Daksha  and  made 
several  attempts  to  cut  off  his  head.  But  the  head  resisted  all  his 
strokes.  Wonder-struck,  he  took  at  last  the  weapons  of  sacrifice  and 
easily  severed  the  head  of  Daksha  even  as  it  were  the  head  of  a  beast 
of  sacrifice.  Loud  were  the  lamentations  at  the  place  of  sacrifice  when 
Virbhadra  with  his  followers  left  it  for  Kailasa. 

The  Devas  after  this  signal  defeat  went   to   Brahma.     Brahm^ 
and  Vishnu  knew  what  was  to  happen  at  Daksha's   sacrifice,  so  they 
had  kept  themselves  aloof.     When  the  Devas  had  related  their  mishap, 
Brahma  explained  to  them  that  they  had  done  wrong  in  not  allowing 
Siva  to  participate  in  the  Yajna  offering.  There  was  no  help  now  but  to 
appease  the  Astral  Lord,  Who  could  destroy  the  Universe  at  His  will. 
So  saying  Brahma  himself  went  with  the  Devas  to  Kailasa  the  abode 
of  Siva.     He  found  there  higher  beings  than   men   perfected  by  birth, 
herbs,  Tapas,  Mantra  or  Yoga  and  Yakshas,   Kinnaras,   Gandharvas 
and   Apsarasas.     The  river   Nanda  (Ganga)  traced   its  course  round 
Kailasa.     High  up  on  the  mount  was  the  abode  called  Alaka  and  the 
garden  called  Saugandhika  (sweet-scented).     On  two  sides  of  Alaka 
were  the  two  rivers  Nanda  and   Alakananda,  sanctified    by  the  dust 
of  Vishnu's  feet.     Alaka  is  the  abode  of  Kubera,  the  Yaksha  king. 
The  Kinnaras  occupied  the  Saugandhika  garden.     Near  it  was  a  large 
fig  tree  (Vata)  800  miles  (100  Yojanas)  high,  the  branches  spreading 
over  600  miles.     Below  that   tree,   the  Devas    found    Siva   in    deep 
meditation  for  the  good    of  the   Universe.     Brahma   asked   Him   to 
pardon   Daksha  and   his   followers  who  had  slighted  Him    by   with 
holding  Yajna  offerings.     "Through  thy  favour  let  the  Yajna  be  com 
pleted  now.  Let  Daksha  get  back  his  life.  Let  the  eyes  of  Bhagadeva, 
the  head  of  Bhrigu,  the  teeth  of  Pushan,  be  restored.     Let  the  Devas 
and  the  sacrificial  Rishis  be  relieved  of  all  pain  in  their  broken  limbs. 
Since  now,  the  remnants   of  Yajna  offerings  are   all    Thine.     Take 
Thy  offerings,  and  let   the  sacrifice  be  completed  this  day." 

Siva  replied  with  a  smile  thus: — "  Daksha  is   a  mere  child.     I 
do  not  even  think  of  him   as  an  offender.     But   I    have  to  set  right 


[    79    ] 

those  that  are  led  astray  by  Maya.  Daksha's  head  is  burntr  up.  So 
let  him  have  the  head  of  a  goat.  Bhagadeva  shall  find  his  Yajna 
offerings  through  the  eyes  of  Mitra.  POshan  shall  ^ave  pishta 
(crushed  or  ground  up  things)  for  his  offerings.  In,  company  with 
other  Devas,  however,  he  shall  have  the  use  of  the  sacrificer's  teeth. 
Let  the  broken  limbs  of  the  Devas  be  rehabilitated.  But  those  that 
have  lost  their  limbs  shall  use  the  arms  of  Asvinikumara  and  the 
hands  of  Pushan.  So  let  it  be  with  the  Rishis  too.  Bhrigu  shall 
have  the  beard  of  a  goat." 

The  Devas  thanked  Siva  for  His  great  kindness  and  invited 
Him  to  the  sacrifice.  Brahm&  accompanied  Siva.  Daksha  regained 
life  and  looked  on  Siva  with  reverence.  He  acquired  wisdom  and 
became  purified  in  mind.  The  sacrifice  was  duly  performed.  Daksha 
sat  in  meditation  and,  lo !  Vishnu  appeared  on  the  back  of  Garuda. 

All  rose  up  and  saluted  Him.  Spontaneous  prayers  broke  forth 
from  one  and  all.  Vishnu  participated  in  the  Yajna  offerings.  Address 
ing  Daksha  He  said  : — "  Only  ignorant  people  see  the  difference  bet 
ween  Me  and  Siva.  I,  Siva  and  Brahma  are  Three  in  One.  For  the 
creation,  preservation  and  dissolution  of  the  Universe,  We  assume  three 
different  Names.  We,  as  the  triune  Atma,  pervade  all  beings.  Wise 
men  therefore  look  upon  all  others  as  their  own  selves." 

Such  is  the  story  of  Sati's  death.  She  took  birth  again  as 
the  daughter  of  Himalaya  and  became  wedded  once  more — the  union 
with  Siva  this  time  was  permanent. 


THOUGHTS  ON  THE  ABOVE. 

[Brahma,  Vishnu  and  Siva  are  the  three  aspects  of  the  Second 
Purusha. 

Brahm&  brings  into  manifestation  the  Prajapatis,  and  the  Pra 
japatis  bring  into  manifestation  the  individuals  and  life  forms.  The 
other  Prajapatis  mostly  represent  the  principles  that  enter  into  the 
constitution  of  life-forms,  while  Daksha  represents  the  combination  of 
principles  forming  a  life  unit. 

Daksha  had  sixteen  daughters— thirteen  he  gave  in  marriage 
to  Dharma,  one  to  Agni,  one  to  the  Pitris  and  one  to  Siva. 

Agni  or  the  god  of  Fire  is  the  Rupa  or  form-giving  Deva.  Fire 
is  used  in  sacrifice,  because  it  changes  the  form  of  things  offered  and 
makes  them  acceptable  to  the  gods  by  change  of  form. 

If  Agni  represents  Rupa  Devas  or  Devas  with  forms,  Dharma 
might  represent  Arupa  Devas  or  Devas  without  forms, 


[     8o     ] 

The  Pitris,  of  whom  four  classes  are  only  mentioned  (  Agni- 
shvAtvas,  Barhishads,  Saumyas  and  Ajyapas ),  are  also  divided  into 
two  classes,— one  with  fire  and  one  without  fire. 

The  attendants  of  Siva  were  dwellers  of  the  astral  or  Bhuvar 
plane, 

For  the  sake  of  convenient  reference  we  shall  call  the  dwellers 
of  Svarga  Loka  Devas  and  the  dwellers  of  Bhuvar  Loka,  Astrals.  The 
different  classes  of  Devas  and  Astrals  are  described  in  the  2Oth.  chapter 
of  the  4th.  Skandha.  The  Devas  and  Astrals  were  brought  into  mani 
festation  by  Daksha,  whose  position  in  creation  was  next  to  that  of 
Brahma.  Therefore  all  stood  up  to  receive  him  at  the  sacrifice 
except  Brahma. 

Siva  first  appeared  as  Kumara  Ntla  Lohita  or  Rudra.  And  all 
beings  thereafter  got  the  potentiality  of  dissolution,  phenomenal  change, 
death  and  decay.  But  in  the  first  stage  of  life  process,  phenomenal 
change,  decay  or  dissolution  was  not  in  requisition,  as  Monads  went  on 
in  their  downward  journey,  not  by  dissolution,  but  by  evolution. 
They  remained  what  they  were,  and  they  acquired  in  addition  a 
more  material  form.  As  the  material  form  became  prominent  the  Deva 
form  and  the  astral  form  became  suppressed. 

Consciousness  in  Deva  form  manifests  itself  as  mind,  in  the 
astral  form  as  animal  desire  and  sense  perception.  In  the  miner 
al  form  it  can  hardly  shew  itself. 

Siva  works  out  the  decay  and  dissolution  of  mineral  matter,  so 
that  the  astral  element  may  once  more  assert  itself  and  there  may  be 
sense  perception  in  the  mineral  metomorphosed  into  the  vegatable. 
The  process  is  carried  further  in  the  animal  kingdom,  and  the  ani 
mals  get  a  constitution  in  which  Kama  or  animal  desire  can  manifest 
itself.  The  animals  evolve  themselves  by  death.  Death  frees  them 
from  the  trammels  of  one  set  of  experience,  and  carries  them  on 
wards  till  the  human  body  is  reached. 

The  work  of  dissolution  proceeds  in  various  ways.  Our  sleep 
is  partial  dissolution.  It  is  brought  on  by  the  astral  attendants  of 
Siva. 

Dissolution  is  caused  by  Tamas.  Tamas  begets  inaction,*  and 
inaction  causes  death  and  decay.  There  is  no  phenomenal  change 
without  dissolution,  death  or  decay. 

There  are  so  many  material  tendencies  in  us  that  they  require 
rejection.  Siva  gives  us  the  power  of  rejection,  as  Vishnu,  the 
power  of  preservation — preservation  of  all  that  is  good  in  us.  Death 
makes  the  man,  where  moral  teachings  fail. 


[     Si      ] 

1  through  Whom   lie 

'he  first  stage  of  HfV 
the   body  of  the   j 
-riod  of  ' 

•/  the  material  tender-  - 


tage,  She  i 

• 

evil  in  ;,ind 

p.  nourishing  all  Jivas  in  their  co  -, 
When  the  IV;1  vrn  was  . 

had  done  it  id  the  process  ofdbsolu- 

olf,     There  was   to  be  a  revolution   in   thr 
Sati  gave  up  her  o\vn  nature  and  became  re-born  in  an; 
:icter  in  the  /n.     The  creative  pr<  .ate- 

lost  his  original  head   and   he  acquired  the 
a  goat.     T  sexual  connection.     All 

J  during  the  reign  of  Prachina-Barhis.  The  Prach 
;'S.      Daksha    reappeared    as  the  son   of  the    I 

or  gods  of  f-  'vho  formed  Daksha  were 

iga.     They  were  the  preserving   de  iirsc 

When  the  next  stage  came  ?n,  i.hey  lost  their 

Breaking  of  teeth  and   the   »  g  of 

of  f.woof  ch--  Adityas.     I  he  subjoined  Table  of  correspondences 
:n    the  »aptcr  of  die  Twelfth   Skandha  sh.: 

corresp  :e  months  of  Pausha  (December) 

and    Magha  J/tnu-in  ;  when  the  rays  of  the  sun  are  the  IP  rfuL 

e  Adityas  preserve  Jivas  in  their  downward  c  'ushana  was 

'•  the   Aryan  shephc^ 


11 


[   82   ] 


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please  not;  the  meanings  of  the  narr 


•.:-:.  ?     N. 

Table  into  the  following  heads  :— - 1.     The 
11.      1  y  ofPirthu,  III.     The  story  of  Pra- 

.oryofPurai.  d  V.    The  stor 

sas. 

TORY  OF  DHRUVA, 

>ne  of  the  s  ^ana- 

pad  >lifted  foot'**.     This  perhaps  reft, 

when  the  Jiva,   hav;  ritual  element  strong  In  him, 

d  in  the  course  of  m  r:t,  but  had  OKI.  foot  towards 

eld  had  two  wiv-  ;th  good  graces) 

and  Suniti  (<  ttaina  or  tie   fjig; 

Dhruv.i  or  the  fixed   was   th 

upO',  >hruva    found    Uttama   on    his    father's  lap  and    he 

For  fea*"  of  Si  did 

•Lch  forth  his  >wards  Dhruva,  wht; 

tauiitcft  the  boy  for  1  •'  by 

the  Bother   Dhruva  fort;^  I   the    pi 

it  to  his  mo  the:  Mated   t 

•o  make 

Dhruva  did  •  ic   to  i  ted 

by  i  Narada   '.nc!  him  on.  the  way,  "Thou   art 

J  the  gn  find 

.put  Him  by  Tapas,  Who  inable    by    inter, 

tion  t  from  ^ 

oft'-,  vn  old',     Dut.DiM'uva 

>.da  to  t  i  how  to  me. 

initiated    Dhruva   into   i;  .cries    of  the    1> 


[     «4 

Bhagavate  Vlsudevaya  ",  told  him  how  to  meditate  on  Vasudevaand 
asked  him  to  make  Tapas  at  Mathura  where  Bhagavan  permanently 
resides,  Dhruva  passed  his  days  in  austere  asceticism,  standing 

ne  foot  and  living  on  air.     The  prince  at  1  >  oiled  his  br 

and  with  deep  concentration  sa^v  the  Devi>  e  Light  in  the  heart. 
Bhagnvlin  withdrew  that  Light  from  the  heart,  and  on  the  break 
amadhi,  Dhruva  found  the  same  D&inity  outside,  standing 
before  him.  Words  he  had  none  for  a  time.  Bhagavan  address 
ing  him  said  : — "  O  Thou  Kshatriyaf  boy  !  I  know  thy  resolve,  Do 
thou  ever  prosper.  I  give  thee  a  place  which  is  ever  bright  anxi  where 
Nirvana  is  constant.  The  planets  and  stars  are  all  attached  to  that 

e.      Those  that  live  for  a  Kalpa  will   die,    but  thai  hall 

never  be  destroyed,  Dharma,  Agni,  Kasyapa  Indra  and  the  seven 
Rishis  with  all  the  luminaries  of  the  sky  are  constantly  revolving 
round  the  place.  Thou  shalt  succeed  thy  father  on  the  throne  and 
reign  for  36,000  years.  Thy  brother  Uttama  shall  disappear  in  a 
forest.  Thy  stepmother  Suruchi  shall  die  in  pursuit  of  her  son.  The 
place  where  thou  shalt  finally  go  is  my  own  abode,  higher  than  that 
of  the  Rishis,  and  there  is  no  return  from  it." 

Dhruva  retimed  to  his  parents  and  was  placed  by  his  father 
on  the  throne.  He  married  Bhrami,  the  daughter  of  Sis*umara,  and 
had  two  sons  by  her,  Kalpa  ,and  Vatsara.  He  had  another  son 
IJtkala  by  I  la.'  Uttama  was  killed  by  a  powerful  Yaksha  while  out 
on  a  hunt.  Dhruva  went  out  to  the  north  to  -take  revenge  on  the 
Yakshas  for  his  brother's  death.  He  killed  several  thousands  of 
innocent-  Yakshas,  Rakshasas  and  Kinnaras  in  battle.  Manu  took 
pity  on  them  and  asked  his  grandson  to  desist  from  fight  Dhruva 
bowed  in  obedience  to  Manu  and  so  Kubera  the  king  of  Yak 
became  much  pleased  with  him  and  blest  him  too.  After  tV- 
six  thousand  yean,  Sananda  and  Nanda,  two  companions  of  Vi. 

chariot  and  took  Dhruva  to  the  promised  abode. 
Utkaia  was  the  eldest  son  of  Dhruva  and  he  was  entitled  to 
succeed  his  father.  But  he  was  a  sage  and  had  united  himself  with 
Brahma.  He  declined  the  throne.  Bhrami's  son  Vatsara  became 
the  king.  Vatsara  married  Subithi  and  had  six  sons  by  her,—Push- 
p^rna  Tigmaketu,  Isha,  Urja,  Vasu  and  Jaya,  Pushp^rna  had 
two  wives, — Pravha  and  Dosjia.  Prabha  had  three  sons, — PrStar, 
Madhyandina  and  Sayarn,  Dosha  had  three  sons, — Pradosha,  Nisitha 
and  Vyushta  Vyushta  married  Pushkarini.  His  Son  was  Sarva- 
tejas,  afterwards  called  Chakshus.  Chakshus  had  one  son, — Nadva!& 
Manu. 


of  the  body  !  Jeath. 

iniqi-  \:  When   ho  became 

jssu  The 

ieti  he  turned  a  dea' 
to  their  words,  they  killed  him  with  ;  -rdom 

now  without  a  ruler   ?nd  there  was  gn  ;er=     Th< 

then  churned  the    t? .urh  of  the   dead    body,   until    a    dvvarfi- 

:;his   told  him  to  'sit  do\vn.a: 
Hence  h  rhey  then  chun. 

a   pair  arose.     "Tin's   male   Is   an   incarnation    of   V:    • 
Rishis,   "and   this   '•• 

inarry   each   other.     He   shall    be   ca  thu  anc; 

Prithu  shall  be  the   King  and  he  shall  preserve- 
accepted  the  duty  of  preserving   the  people.     He  saw  t! 
vegetation   on    the   earth.      His   subjects   suffered  f  He 

thought  that  the  earth  had  eaten  up  the  seeds  and  was    riot  bring- 
torth  the  plants.      In  anger   Prithu    took  u;  med 

at   the   earth.  nned    the  form  of    c  >.  to  run 

away   chased  by  the  King.      But  si  it  yield 

him  to  spare   hi •<  u  Thou  art  Lord  of  this  Universe  rned 

Thou  knowest  very  well  that  the  form 3   * 

Jed    by    Brahma   could    not    be  I  have 

therefore   preserved  If  I  h  they 

lid  have  been  Yajna  <./  .rul 

ed   in   future.     True,   tiv 

the  best  means  to    b  n  out.     Find. out  a  c 

milker.     I  will  v.  as  my  rniik.  f  all 

make  rny  surface.  .ds.     He 

made   Svayambhuya  the   calf  and  milke  Tito, 

his  own  hands.     Others   followed   him.     The  Rishis 
their  calf  and  drew  out  the  Verhts  int 

The  i'ndra    then  .-.nd     mi'1 

thei  >d    ftner;.,  ;  and  ol 

The  milk- 

mad.  «  calf  and  milke" 

graiv  words, 

unbj.  ^ade 

•ila   their   ca  ).    (And 


TI-;  ^TS  ON  THE  ABOVr 

[  The  Itne  of  Uitanapada,  as  1  have  said  above,  -.orsts  the 

appearance  c  ••  Italian  had   to  be  put  t 

life-periods  of  indivii1  >mence  with   Dhruva,    who  prc 

sides  over  the  polar  star,    and  lives   for  one    Kalpa.     His  sons 
Kalpa  and  Wsara,     "Vatsara''  year.     The  son  >  of  Vatsara 

are  the  six  seasons,  "  PushpArna"  is  the  flower  season  or  spring-. 
t(  Tigmaketu ''  means  fierce-rayed.  The  denotes  summer 

season.     "Isha"  means   full  of  sat  and  is  the  name  of  th 
Asvhia.     But  it  means  here  the  tainy  season.     *-'  Urja  "  is  the   name 
of   the   month    of    Kartika.      It    is    indicative   of  aiitu 
meaning   wealth   is   the  season   between  autumn  and  winter,    when 
paddy   becomes  Prabh£  "    is  light,      u  Dosha "    is   dark 

"Pratar/'  4t  Madhyandtna-"  and  Sayam  are  morning,  midday  and 
evening,  respectively.  \dosha '  is  first  part  of  the  night, 

tha"    Js    midnight      "Vyushta"    is  day  break*     "  Sarva-teias  '• 
is   all-fire.      He   wa  .     tly  called    Chakshus   or   eye       The 

names  other  than  Chakshus  indicate  different  capacities  of  individual 
life,  ranging  from  portions  of  ?.  day  to  the  w  -Jpr*.  When  "the 

downward  flow   of  1  is  the    rule,    Dhruva   had  to  make  great 

sacrifice  to  remain  fixed  on  the  spiritual  plane.  Hence  he  worshipped 
Vishnu^  as  directed  by  Narada,  Sarva-tejas  or  Chakshus  pesl- 
indicates  *  he.  appearance  of  perceptive  faculties.  The  son  of  Chak 
shus  is  glorified  with  the  title  of  Manu,  This  is  significant.  He  is 
called  Nadvala,  or  one  made  of  reeds,  This  marks  a  new  era  in 
the  prog  reed  is  !.  •  of  sheaths  ovor- lap 

ping  each  other,  so  tiv  of  this  Manu  were  constituted  of  over 

lapping  principles.  Why  Nadvala  is  called  Manu,  has  to  be  found 
out  in  the  circumstances  that  attended  ihe  progress  of  the  Monads 
from  ineral  to  the  vegetable  stage.  The  son  of  th. 

was  Anga  or  the  limbs      And  Anga'was  wedded  to  the  daughter  of 
the  death— god.     So  there  was  no  death  up  to  the  Nadvala  form 
of  life,    and  no  limbs.     It  was  something  like  the  appearance    of  pro 
toplastic   matter,    with   all    its   potentialities    of  rvolviiig 
Thus  we  :aderstand  the  important 

Dev  < ray  made  the  inorganic  to  develo.  ] 

II.    THE  STORY  OF  FRITH  U. 
•SKANDHA.  IV.  Ci 

Nadvala  had  twelve  >f  them  being  Ulmfcka  (nre-brancf, 

torch).     He  had  six  sons,  ;>ne  of  tht  >r  the  members 


so  other  instances  are  given).  Prithu  was  so  glad  that  he  called 
earth  his  daughter  and  hence  she  is  called  Prithivi  or  the  daughter 
of  Prithu.  The  King  also  crushed  the  mountains  and  made  the 
earth's  surface  level. 

Prithu  then  commenced  a  series  of  Asvamedha  Yajfias.  Dur 
ing  the  performance  of  the  hundredth,  I ndra  twice  stole  away  the 
sacrificial  horse,  but  Prithu's  son  restored  it  on  both  the  occasions. 
The  performer  of  one  hundred  Asvamedha  sacrifices  becomes  an  Indra. 
This  was  the  cause  of  Indra's  fear.  Prithu  could  not  bear  the  disgraceful 
conduct  of  Indra  and  he  resolved  to  kill  him.  The  Rishis  dissuaded 
him  and  even  Brahma  and  Vishnu  appeared  to  soothe  the  offended 
King  and  restore  his  friendship  with  Indra.  Vishnu  explained  to 
Prithu  that  he  had  enough  to  do  as  a  king  of  the  earth  and  as  a  pre 
server  of  the  people  and  that  he  should  not  aspire  to  become  Indra, 
who  had  his  duties  as  well. 

Sometime  after,  the  Sanat  Kumar  brothers  appeared  before  the 
King  and  taught  him  the  way  to  Mukti.  He  made  over  the  kingdom 
to  his  son  Vijitasva  and  retired  into  the  forest.  At  last  he  gave  up 
the  body  and  went  to  Vaikuntha. 

THOUGHT  ON  THE  ABOVE. 

[  We  left  the  Monad  in  its  protoplasmic  state.  The  protoplas 
mic  mass  began  to  spread  out  limbs  (Angaj.  But  the  development 
of  limbs  was  not  an  unmixed  blessing,  for  Anga  became  wedded  to 
the  daughter  of  Death. 

There  was  no  death  in  the  protoplasm.  The  offspring  of  the 
first  connexion  with  death  was  Vena. 

The  root  ven  means  to  move.  The  first  moving  protoplasmic 
mass  had  too  much  of  unruliness  in  it,  and  it  was  not  therefore  fitted 
for  yajna  or  evolution.  It  had  to  be  brought  under  the  law  and  the 
black  element  was  churned  out.  That  black  element  of  Tamas  had 
to  wait  till  the  time  of  the  great  dissolution.  Vishnu  had  to  in 
carnate  at  this  stage  as  Prithu  to  suffuse  the  material  mass  with  satva 
and  thereby  make  it  conscious.  The  course  of  evolution  received 
a  great  impetus.  The  Monad  had  passed  through  elemental  and 
mineral  stages.  Organic  life  had  already  appeared.  Matter  had 
passed  through  the  grossness  and  immobility  of  Tamas  and  the 
irregular,  impulsive  and  purposeless  movements  of  Rajas,  till  it  be 
came  permeated  with  Satva,  when  those  movements  assumed  the 
regularity  of  conscious  acts.  The  conciousness  of  Satva  made  the 
future  evolution  or  yajna  teem  with  big  possibilities.  Earth  could 


[     88     ] 

no  longer  keep  back  the  seeds  of  the  vegetable  creation  in  her  bosom. 
Her  surface  became  levelled  and  she  looked  green  with  vegetation. 
She  brought  forth  all  her  latent  life-energies  and  life-evolution  com 
menced  in  light  earnest  under  the  guidance  of  the  first  King  ener 
gised  by  Vishnu  for  the  preservation  of  the  universe.  But  that  King 
was  not  to  exceed  the  proper  bounds.  He  was  not  to  usurp  the  func 
tions  of  Indra.  The  Devas  are  the  executive  officers  of  the  Rishis 
in  the  cyclic  administration  of  the  universe  and  their  work  is  more 
on  cyclic  than  on  individual  lines.  The  kings  however  as  represent 
ing  Manu  have  to  deal  directly  with  Monads  and  Egos  and  have  to 
guide  them  according  to  the  light  of  the  Rishis.  Prithu  was  asked 
by  Vishnu  to  keep  himself  within  the  bounds  of  kingly  duties.  ] 


III.     THE  STORY  OF  THE  PRACHINA  BARHIS  OR 

BARHISHAD. 
SKANDHA  IV.  CHAP,  24. 

The  eldest  son  of  Prithu  was  Vijitasva.  He  was  so  called  for 
having  restored  the  sacrificial  horse  stolen  by  Indra.  Indra  taught  him 
the  art  of  becoming  invisible.  Hence  he  was  also  called  Antardhana. 
He  had  four  brothers — Havyaksha,  DhOmrakesha,  Vrika  and  Dravinas. 
To  them  he  gave  the  east,  the  south,  the  west  and  the  north  res 
pectively.  By  his  wife  Sikhandini,  Vijitasva  had  three  sons — Pavaka, 
Pavamana,  and  Suchi. 

These  fire-gods  descended  by  the  curse  of  Vasishtha  but  the 
descent  was  only  temporary.  Antardhana  had  by  his  other  wife 
Nabhasvati  one  son,  Havirdhana.  Havirdhana  had  six  sons — Barhi- 
shad,  Gaya,  Sukla,  Krishna,  Satya  and  Jitavrata.  Of  these,  Barhi- 
shad  was  a  great  votary  of  Kriya,  (action)  and  he  constantly  per 
formed  Yajfias.  Even  while  he  was  performing  one  Yajna,  the  place 
for  another  was  preparing  close  by.  Hence  he  was  called  Prachina- 
Barhis.  King  Prachina-Barhis  married  Satadruti,  the  daughter  of  the 
Ocean-god.  And  he  had  by  her  ten  sons,  all  of  whom  were  called 
Prachetas.  The  King  ordered  his  sons  to  enlarge  the  creation. 
They  went  out  to  make  Tapas  for  one  thousand  years.  Narada  came 
to  the  King  and  told  him  that  the  way  to  Mukti  was  not  through 
Kriya  Kanda.  By  performing  sacrifices  he  was  only  acquiring  new 
karma.  The  only  way  to  attain  liberation  was  to  know  oneself. 
The  Rishi  illustrated  his  teachings  by  the  famous  allegory  of  Puran- 
jana.  The  King  heard  the  story  and  its  explanation  from  Narada.  He 


t  89  ] 

did  not  wait  for  the  return  of  his  sons.  But  he  called  his'ministers  to 
gether  and  delivered  to  them  his  mandate  that  his  sons  were  to  succeed 
him  on  the  throne.  He  went  to  the  Asrama  of  Kapila  for  Tapas  and 
attained  liberation. 


IV.     THE  ALLEGORY  OF  PURANJANA. 
SKANDHA  IV.  CHAP.  25-29. 

There  was  a  king  called  Puranjana.  He  had  a  friend,  but 
the  king  knew  not  his  name  nor  his  doings.  Puranjana  went  in 
search  of  a  place  to  live  in.  He  went  about  on  all  sides,  but  found 
no  suitable  abode.  At  last  while  roaming  south  of  the  Himalayas, 
he  found  one  Puri  (town)  in  Bharata  Varaha  (India)*  The  marks 
were  all  favourable.  There  were  nine  gateways.  In  one  of  the 
gardens  he  found  a  most  beautiful  young  lady.  She  had  ten  atten 
dants.  Each  of  them  had  hundreds  of  wives.  One  five-headed 
serpent  was  the  warder  of  the  town  and  he  constantly  guarded  his 
mistress.  The  lady  was  on  the  look  out  for  one  to  be  her  lord. 
Puranjana  broke  forth  into  words  of  love,  and  asked  who  she  was. 
"  O  thou  greatest  of  men  !"  exclaimed  the  lady,  "  I  know  not  who  I 
am  or  who  thou  art  Nor  do  I  know  who  made  us  both.  This 
only  I  know,  that  I  now  exist  I  do  not  know  even  who  made  this 
town  for  me.  These  are  my  companions  —  male  and  female.  This 
serpent  guards  the  town,  even  when  we  are  all  asleep.  Luckily 
hast  thou  come  here.  I  shall  try  with  all  my  companions  to  bring 
to  thee  all  objects  of  desire.  Be  thou  the  lord  of  this  Puri  for  one 
hundred  years.  And  accept  all  enjoyments  brought  by  me."  Puran 
jana  entered  the  Puri  and  lived  in  enjoyment  there  for  one  hundred 
years. 

Of  the  nine  gateways,  seven  were  upper  and  two  lower  —  five 
on  the  east  (  Purva,  which  also  means  front  ),  one  on  the  south 
(Dakshina),  one  on  the  north  (Uttara)  and  two  on  the  west 
(  Paschima  ).  Two  of  them  Khadyota  and  Avirmukhi  were  close  to 
each  other  and  Puranjana  used  them  whenever  he  would  go  out  to 
see  Vibhrajita  in  the  company  of  Dyumat. 

Nalini  and  Nalini  were  also  two  passages  built  together. 
Puranjana  used  them  with  the  help  of  Avadhuta  in  order  to  repair 
to  Saurabha. 

The  Mukhya  passage  was  used  for  Apana  and  Bahudana, 
12 


I    90    ] 

Through  the  southern  passage  Pitrihu,  Puranjana  went  with 
Srutadhara  to  Dakshina  Panchala  and  through  the  northern  passage 
Devahu,  to  Uttara  Panchala. 

Through  the  western  passage  called  Asuri,  Puranjana  went 
with  Durmada  to  Gramaka.  The  other  western  passage  was  called 
Nir-riti,  Through  that  passage  Puranjana  went  with  Lubdhaka  to 
Vais^asa. 

There  were  two  blind  gates  /.  e.  without  opening,  viz  : — Nirvak 
and  Pesaskrita.  Puranjana  used  them  for  motion  and  action.  He 
went  inside  the  town  with  Vishuchina.  There  he  experienced  Moha 
(delusion),  Prasada  (contentment)  and  Harsha  (joy),  caused  by 
his  wife  and  daughters. 

Puranjana  became  thus  attached  to  Karma.  He  slavishly 
followed  whatever  the  Queen  did.  If  she  heard,  the  King  heard.  If 
she  smelt,  the  King  smelt.  If  she  rejoiced,  the  King  rejoiced.  If 
she  wept,  the  King  wept.  Puranjana  merged  his  self  entirely  in  that 
of  his  wife. 

Once  upon  a  time,  the  King  went  out  hunting  into  the  forest 
Panchaprastha.  His  chariot  had  five  swift  going  horses,  two  poles,  two 
wheels,  two  axles,  three  flags,  five  chains,  one  bridle,  one  charioteer, 
one  seat  for  the  charioteer,  two  yoke  ends,  seven  fenders,  and  five 
courses.  He  had  a  golden  armour  and  an  endless  supply  of  arrows. 
Brihadbala  was  the  commander  of  his  forces.  The  King  forgot  his 
wife  for  the  time  being  in  the  chase  of  deer.  But  he  got  tired  and 
returned  home.  The  Queen  would  not  speak  to  him  in  feigned 
anger.  The  King  appeased  her  with  gentle  and  flattering  words  of 
love. 

So  passed  the  days  in  utter  delusion.  The  King  had  1 100 
sons  and  1 10  daughters.  He  gave  them  in  marriage  to  duly  quali 
fied  persons.  Puranjana's  sons  had  100  sons  each.  The  kingdom 
of  Panchala  became  filled  with  the  progeny  of  Puranjana.  The 
King  performed  sacrifices  for  the  welfare  of  his  children  and  killed 
animals  for  the  purpose. 

Chandavega,  a  Gandharva  king,  had  a  strong  force  of  360 
white  Gandharvas.  Each  of  them  had  one  black  wife.  By  turns 
these  Gandharvas  robbed  the  town  of  Puranjana.  The  serpeut- 
warder  could  not  fight  long  against  such  odds,  it  lost  strength  day 
by  day.  The  King  and  all  the  citizens  became  extremely  anxions. 

There  was  a  daughter  of  Kala  who  went  about  the  world  for 
a  husband.  But  no  one  received  her  for  a  wife.  She  went  to  N^rada 


I     91     ] 

and  on  the  refusal  of  the  sage  cursed  him  to  become  a  wanderer  for 
ever.  She  was  referred  however  by  Narada  to  Fear,  the  King  of 
Yavanas.  King  Fear  would  not  accept  her  for  his  wife.  But 
he  addressed  her  as  his  sister  and  assured  her  that  she  would  enjoy 
all  beings  on  earth,  if  only  she  attacked  them  unnoticed.  His 
Yavana  troops  would  always  accompany  her  as  well  as  his  brother 
Prajvara. 

The  Yavana  troops  of  King  Fear  under  Prajvara  and  the 
daughter  of  Kala  attacked  the  Puri  of  Puranjana.  The  old  serpent 
gave  way.  The  Puri  was  burnt  up  by  Prajvara.  There  was  wailing 
all  round.  The  Serpent  left  the  Puri.  Puranjana  was  dragged  out 
of  it.  The  sufferings  he  had  caused  to  others  in  sacrifices  or  otherwise 
reacted  upon  him.  Long  he  suffered  forgetting  even  his  old  friends. 
His  mind  had  been  tainted  by  the  constant  company  of  women  and 
he  had  thought  of  his  wife  till  the  last  moment.  So  he  became  a 
female  in  the  next  birth.  She  was  born  as  the  daughter  of  the  Vidar- 
bha  king.  Malayadhvaja,  King  of  Pandya,  defeated  other  princes  in 
the  fight  for  her  hand  and  the  princess  became  his  wife.  She  bore  to 
the  King  one  black-eyed  daughter  and  seven  sons.  The  sons  became 
kings  of  Dravida  and  each  of  them  had  millions  of  sons.  Agastya 
married  the  daughter  of  the  King,  and  had  by  her  a  son  called  Dri- 
dhachyta.  His  son  was  Idhmavaha.  King  Malayadhvaja  divided 
the  kingdom  amongst  his  sons  and  ascended  the  hills  for  devotional 
meditation.  His  wife  accompanied  him.  One  day  the  princess  found 
the  body  of  her  husband  cold  in  death.  With  loud  lamentations, 
she  prepared  the  funeral  pyre,  placed  the  King's  body  upon  it  and  put 
fire  thereon.  She  then  resolved  to  burn  herself  on  the  same  pyre. 

The  former  friend  now  appeared.  Addressing  the  Queen  he 
said  : — 

"  Who  art  thou  ?  Who  is  he  lying  on  the  funeral  pyre  that 
thou  mournest  aloud  ?  Dost  thou  know  me,  thy  friend,  thy  former 
companion  ?  Dost  thou  remember  even  so  much  that  thou  hadst 
a  friend,  whom  thou  canst  not  recognise?  Thou  didst  leave  me  in 
search  of  some  earthly  abode  and  enjoyment.  We  were  two  Hansas 
(swans)  on  the  Manasa  Loka  and  we  lived  together  for  one  thousand 
years.  Desirous  of  wordly  enjoyments  thou  didst  leave  me  for 
the  earth*  and  there  didst  find  a  town  with  a  woman  as  its  mistress. 
The  company  of  that  woman  spoiled  thy  vision  and  effaced  thy  me 
mory.  Hence  thou  hast  attained  this  state.  Thou  art  not  the  daugh 
ter  of  the  Vidarbha  King,  nor  is  this  King  thy  hiisband.  Nor  wast 
thou  the  husband  of  Puranjana.  By  my  mdyd  thou  misconceivest 


[     92     ] 

thyself  as  a  man  or  a  woman.  But  in  reality  both  myself  and  thyself 
are  Kansas.  Wise  men  find  no  difference  between  us.  If  there  is 
any  difference  between  a  man  and  his  image,  that  is  the  difference 
between  me  and  thyself." 

The  other  Hansa  now  regained  his  lost  consciousness  and  was 
reawakened  to  his  former  state. 

This   is   the  story  of   Puranjana.      Now   its   explanation   by 
NArada  :— 

Puranjana  is  Purusha— he  who  illumines   the   Pura   with  con 
sciousness. 

The  unknown  friend  is  Isvara. 

The  Pura  or  Puri  or  town  is  the  human  body. 

"  The  marks  were  all  favourable " — there  were  no  deformities 
in  the  body. 

41  The  nine  gateways  "  are  the  nine  openings  of  the  body. 

The  young  lady  Puranjani  is  Buddhi. 

She  is  the  mistress  of  the  body. 

The  ten  male  attendants  are  the  five  jnanendriyas  or  organs 
of  perception  and  the  five  karmendriyas  or  organs  of 
action, 

The  wives  of  the  attendants  are  the  functions  of  the  Indriyas. 

The  five-headed  serpent  is  Pr&na.  The  five  heads  are  its  five 
sub-divisions. 

"  One  hundred  years  "  is  the  full  term  of  man's  life* 

<'  Khadyota,"  literally  glow-worm,  is  the  left  eye,  for,  it  has  not 
the  illumining  capacity  of  the  right  eye. 

0  Avirmukh! "  or  the  great  illuminator  is  the  right  eye, 

"  Vibhr&jita"  is  Rupa  or  object  of  sight, 

"  Dyumat "  is  the  perceiving  eye. 

"  Nalini "  and  "  N^lini "  are  the  left  and  right  nostrils  respec 
tively. 

"  Avadhuta  "  is  V&yu.  In  the  story,  it  means  the  perceiving 
nose. 

"  Saurabha  "  is  Gandha  or  smell, 

"  Mukhya"  is  mouth. 

"  Apana  "  is  speech. 

"  BahGdana  "  is  eating. 

"Panchaia"  is  Fancha  (five)-fala  (capable)— that  which  is 
capable  of  bringing  to  light  such  of  the  five  objects  of 
the  senses,  as  cannot  be  otherwise  cognised ;  Sastra 
or  spiritual  teachings. 


I    93     ] 

The  right  ear  is  stronger  than  the  left  ear.  Therefore  it  is 
more  prominent  and  useful  in  hearing  the  Sastras,  of  which  trie  first  to 
be  heard  is  Karma  Kanda. 

A  man  by  the  observance  of  Karma  Kanda  is  called  to  the 
Pitris,  /.  e.  he  reaches,  after  death,  the  path  called  Pitriyana. 

"  Pitrihu  "  is  therefore  the  right  ear. 

"  DevahQ  "  is  the  left  ear  corresponding  to  Devayana. 

"  Uttara  Panchala  "  is  Pravritti  Sastra  or  teachings   of  world- 

liness. 

"Dakshina  Panchal"  is  Nivritti  Sastra  or  teachings  of  renun 
ciation. 

"Nirriti"  is  death.  The  anus  is  called  death,  because  ordi 
narily  the  Linga  Sarira  goes  out  through  that  passage 
after  death. 

11  Lubdhak  "  is  Payu. 

"  Vaisasa  "  is  excrement. 

"Nirvak"  is  foot. 

"  Pesaskrita  "  is  hand. 

Of  the  Indriyas,  hand  and  foot  are  blind,  as  there  are  no 
openings  in  them. 

"Vishuchina"  is  mind. 

Moha  is  the  result  of  Tamas,  Pras^da  of  Satva  and  Harsha 
of  Rajas. 

The  aforesaid  names  indicate  enjoyment  in  the  Jagrat  or 
waking  state. 

The  hunting  represents  enjoyment  in  the  Svapna  or  dream 
state. 

The  "  Chariot  "  is  the  body  in  dream  consciousness. 

The  five  horses  are  the  five  organs  of  perception. 

The  two   poles    are    "I -ness"    and   "Mine-ness." 

The   two  wheels  are  merit  and  demerit. 

The  axle  is  Pradhana. 

The  three  flags  are  the  three  Gunas. 

The  five  chains  are  the  five  Pranas. 

The  bridle  is  Manas  the  seat  of  desires. 

The  charioteer  is  Buddhi, 

The  yoke-ends  are  sorrow  and  delusion. 

The  seven  fenders  are  the  seven  Dhatus  or  essential  in 
gredients  of  the  body. 

The  five  courses  are  the  five  organs  of  action. 

The  gold  color  of  the  armour  is  due  to  Rajas. 


t    94     ] 

Brihadbala  is  the  even  perceiving  mind. 

The  sons  are  the  transformations  of  perception. 

The  daughters  are  the  concepts  following  such  transforma 
tions. 

"  Chandavega",  the  Gandharva  king,  is  the  year,  every  year 
of  human  life. 

The  Gandharvas  are  days. 

Their  wives  are  nights. 

The  360  Gandharvas  are  the  360  days  of  the  year.  With  their 
wives  or  nights  they  form  the  number  720. 

The  daughter  of  Kala  is  Jara  or  decrepitude. 

The  Yavanas  are  diseases  or  infirmities. 

Fear  is  the  King  of  all  diseases  and  infirmities  viz.,  Death. 

Prajvara  is  destructive  fever. 

As  long  as  Purusha  does  not  know  his  real  self,  but  identifies 
himself  with  the  Gunas  of  Prakriti,  he  becomes  subject  to  births  and 
deaths.  The  only  remedy  for  this  malady  is  pure  devotion  to  Guru 
and  to  Bhagavan.  By  such  devotion,  dispassion  and  wisdom  are 
both  acquired. 

"Darbha"  is  Kusa  grass,  symbolical  of  Yajna.  "Vidarbha" 
is  pure  land.  "  Malaya  "  or  the  Deccan  is  famous  for  Vishnu  worship. 

"  Malayadhvaja  "  is  therefore  a  Vaishnava  king. 

[  It  appears  that  Vaishnavism  had  its  rise  and  growth  in  the 
south  of  India  before  it  overspread  Northern  India.  This  would  be 
natural  considering  the  hold  of  Vedic  Brahmanism  in  Northern  India.] 

The  daughter  of  Malayadhvaja  is  Devotion.  The  seven  sons 
are  the  seven  divisions  of  Bhakti,  viz, — 

(1)  Sravana  or  hearing  the  glory  of  Vishnu, 

(2)  Kirtana  or  reciting  the  glory  of  Vishnu, 

(3)  Smarana  or  constant  remembrance  of  Vishnu, 

(4)  PAdasevana  or  shewing  respect  to  Vishnu, 

(5)  Archana  or  worship  of  Vishnu, 

(6)  Bandana  or  adoration  of  Vishnu, 

(7)  Ddsya   or   consecration   of    one   self    to   the   service   of 

Vishnu. 

The  other  two  divisions,  Saukhya  or  companionship  with 
Vishnu  and  Atma  nivedana  or  complete  resignation  are  not  men 
tioned  in  this  connection  as  they  relate  to  a  highly  advanced  spiri 
tual  state. 

These  modes  of  Bhakti  worship  are  prevalent  in  Dravida. 

The  millions  of  sons  are  sub-divisions  of  Sravana,  &c. 


[    95     1 

M  Agastya  "  is  mind. 

"  Dridhachyuta"  is  one  confirmed  in  dispassion. 
"  Idhmavaha  "  is  one  who  goes  to  Guru,  fuel  in  hand,  for  ins 
tructions. 

IsVara,  the  unknown  friend,  called  Himself  and  the  Purusha 
two  Hansas  of  the  Manaaa  Lake.  Hansa  is  one  absolutely  pure. 
M^nasa  Lake  is  the  Heart. 

"  For  one  thousand  years " — Both  Jiva  and  fs"vara  remained 
together  as  friends,  the  same  in  essence  and  in  form,  during  the  one 
thousand  years  of  Maha  Pralaya,  at  the  end  of  a  Kalpa.  During 
Manvantaric  Manifestation,  the  Jiva  parts  from  his  Friend  Is*vara 
and  launches  into  a  wild  course  of  enjoyments,  of  joys  and  sorrows. 
The  touch  of  that  fascinating  lady  Buddhi  destroys  all  previous 
remembrances  and  the  Jiva  plays  several  characters  in  the  drama  of 
life,  in  dream  and  delusion. 

NArada  concluded  his  explanation  of  the  allegory  with  this 
eloquent  exhortation  : — 

"  Know  thou,  O  King,  the  deer,  skipping  in  the  flower-garden, 
in  company  with  its  sweet-heart,  deeply  attached  to  the  sweets  of 
that  garden,  devouring  with  eager  ears  the  humming  music  of 
bhramaras,  little  caring  for  the  wolves  on  its  way  or  for  the  arrows 
of  the  huntsman  that  pierce  its  back. 

"The  flowers  are  but  women  who  bloom  only  to  droop.  The 
fragrance  and  honey,  the  sweets  of  the  garden,  are  the  enjoyments 
brought  on  by  the  karma  of  another  birth." 

41  The  music  of  bhramaras  is  the  pleasing  conversation  of  women 
and  others.  The  wolves  are  the  days  and  nights.  The  huntsman 
who  stealthily  flings  arrows  at  the  deer  is  Death.  The  deer  is  thy 
own  self." 

"  Consider  well  the  efforts  of  the  deer.  Concentrate  chitta  into 
the  heart  and  all  perceptions  into  chitta.  Give  up  the  company 
of  woman.  Turn  a  deaf  ear  to  all  idle  talks.  Be  devoted  to  that  one 
true  Friend  of  Jivas — fsvara.  Retire,  retire  from  all  others." 

King  Prachina  Barhis  wondered  why  such  beautiful  teachings 
were  with  held  by  his  teachers.  Or  forsooth,  they  knew  not  them 
selves.  He  requested  Narada  however  to  remove  two  doubts  that 
were  still  lurking  in  his  mind. — Purusha  acquires  karma  in  one  body, 
but  he  reaps  the  fruits  of  that  karma  in  another  body.  One  body  is 
the  doer  while  another  is  the  enjoyer  and  sufferer.  To  one  body,  the 
fruits  of  its  own  work  are  lost.  To  another  body,  there  is  an  acqui- 


t    96    ] 

sition  of  fruits  it  clid  not  sow.  How  can  this  be  ?  This  was  the  first 
doubt. 

What  is  done  is  done.  Nothing  apparently  remains  of  our 
katvta.  How  can  then  the  sequences  be  accounted  for?  This  was 
the  second  doubt. 

Narad  a  replies  :— * 

Purusha  reaps  the  fruits  in  that  very  body  without  break  in 
which  it  acquires  karma,  but  that  body  is  the  Linga  Sarira,  inclusive  of 
Manas.  As  in  dream  man  works  out  the  impressions  of  the  wakeful 
state  without  changing  the  body,  so  he  enjoys  the  fruits  of  karma 
created  in  one  birth  in  the  Karma-made  body  of  another  birth. 

And  the  doer  of  Karma  is  verily  the  Manas  and  not  the 
Sthula  body.  "  These  are  mine,"  "  I  am  so  and  so,"  only  such  con 
cepts  of  the  mind  produce  re-birth,  and  not  anything  in  the  Sthula 
body.  So  the  mind  sows  and  the  mind  reaps.  The  body  is  merely 
the  vehicle  of  birth — producing  thoughts. 

This  is  in  answer  to  the  first  question.     Now  to  the  second. 

How  do  you  know  there  is  chitta  or  mind  ?  All  the  senses  are 
at  one  and  the  same  time  in  contact  with  the  objects  of  all  the  senses. 
But  still  you  perceive  only  one  thing  at  a  time.  Hence  you  infer  the 
existence  of  the  mind.  Similarly  by  marking  the  tendencies  of  the 
mind  their  connection  with  a  former  birth  is  inferred.  Otherwise  why 
should  there  be  one  mental  affection  at  a  time  and  not  another? 

Then,  in  this  life  you  never  realise  a  thing  which  you  never 
heard  or  saw  or  felt  before.  How  can  the  mind  then  reproduce 
matters  you  never  experienced  before  ? 

The  mind  by  its  present  characteristics  gives  an  insight  into 
the  past  as  well  as  into  the  future. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  things  are  perceived  in  the  mind 
with  strange  combinations  in  time,  space  and  action,  as  in  dream. 

But  men  are  endowed  with  mind  and  the  mind  perceives  one 
after  another  the  objects  of  the  senses  in  an  enormous  variety,  and 
the  perceptions  are  lost  again.  So  (in  the  long  run)  not  one  experi 
ence  is  altogether  strange. 

(For  instance,  a  man  sees  in  dream  that  he  is  a  king.  He 
must  have  been  a  king  in  some  birth  or  other.  The  present  combina 
tion  in  the  dreem  is  untrue  but  not  so  the  kingly  experience.  The 
experience  is  always  true  with  reference  to  some  time,  some  space, 
some  action  or  other). 


[    97    ] 

When  the  mind  is  intensely  Satvic  (calm,  pure  and  transparent) 
and  becomes  constantly  devoted  to  Bhagavan,  the  whc/le  universe 
is  reflected  on  it.  / 

In  Jiva  there  is  never  a  break  in  the  egoistic  expedience  as  long 
as  the  Linga  Sarira  continues. 

There  is  only  a  seeming  break  in  sleep,  swoon  and  deep  dis 
tress  such  as  death  and  fatal  illness,  but  such  break  is  due  to  a  col 
lapse  of  the  percieving  senses. 

There  is  similarly  a  break  in  the  foetal  stage  and  in  extreme 
childhood*  But  such  break  is  due  to  imperfection  of  the  senses. 
The  moon  though  not  visible  on  the  new  moon  night  does  still 
exist 

The  connection  with  gross  objects  does  not  Cease  because 
there  is  a  temporary  absence  of  such  objects.  For,  are  not  thoughts 
about  objects  potent  in  their  effects  in  dream  ? 

The  Linga  Sarira,  consisting  in  their  essense  of  the  five  pure 
elements  (Tanmatra),  subject  to  the  three  Gunas,  extending  over  the 
sixteen  transformations  (of  the  Sankhya  category),  permeated  with 
consciousness,  is  called  Jiva. 

It  is  with  this  Ling  Sarira  that  Purusha  enters  into  a  body  or4 
comes  out  of  it,  and  it  is  with  this  Sarira  that  he  experiences  joy, 
sorrow,  fear,  misery  and  happiness, 

As  the  leech  has  its  hold  on  the  first  blade  of  grass  till  it  con 
nects  itself  with  another,  so  the  Jiva  identifies  itself  with  one  body  till 
it  enters  another. 

Manas  only  acquires  karma  by  its  contemplation  of  the 
objects  of  the  senses.  The  bondage  is  thus  created  by  Avidya. 

Therefore  do  thou  meditate  on  Hari  to  free  thyself  from  all 
worldly  attachments  and  to  be  fixed  in  Him  for  ever, 


V.    THE  STORY  OF  THE  PRACHETAS  BROTHERS. 
SKANDHA  IV.  CHAP.  30-31. 

The  Prachetas  brothers  left  home  in  order  to  discover  by 
Tapas  the  best  mode  of  enlarging  the  creation.  They  went  west- 
xvard  and  had  not  gone  far  when  Siva  rose  from  beneath  a  large  lake 
and  addressed  them  thus  : — "  Children,  you  are  sons  of  Barhishad* 
I  know  your  good  resolve*.  Blessings  be  on  you.  By  the  perform 
ance  of  one's  duty  in  life,  one  attains  the  state  of  Brahma  after 
13 


[    98    ] 

many  births.  My  abode  is  still  further,  inaccessible  even  to  the 
virtuous.  \  But  the  votary  of  Vishnu  attains  His  holy  state,  only 
when  this  iife  is  ended.  I  and  the  Devas  shall  also  attain  that  state 
after  the  final  break  up  of  our  Linga  Sarira.  Learn  therefore  this 
prayer  to  Vishnu.  (  Siva  then  recited  the  prayer  to  Vishnu,  known 
as  Rudra  Gita ).  Concentrate  your  mind  on  this  prayer,  meditate 
on  it  and  recite  it  constantly." 

The  Prachetas  brothers  entered  the  waters  of  the  deep  and 
there  prayed  to  Vishnu  for  a  thousand  years.  Vishnu  appeared  and 
asked  them  to  chose  a  boon  and  without  waiting  for  a  reply  address 
ed  them  thus  : — "  You  are  dutiful  sons  and  shall  ever  be  known  as 
such.  You  shall  have  a  son  in  no  way  inferior  to  Brahma.  All  the 
three  Lokas  shall  be  rilled  with  his  progeny.  Indra  had  sent  Pram- 
locha  to  decoy  Kandu  Rishi  in  his  penances  and  the  Apsara  succeed 
ed  in  winning  the  heart  of  the  Rishi.  She  had  by  him  one  daughter 
whom  she  brought  forth  from  her  pores  as  she  brushed  against  the 
tops  of  the  trees.  She  left  her  child  there  and  ascended  to  heaven. 
The  moon  nourished  the  child  by  putting  his  nectar-bearing  fore 
finger  into  her  mouth.  Have  that  daughter  of  the  trees  for  your 
wife.  You  are  all  alike  in  your  virtues  and  she  is  like  to  you  all.  So 
she  shall  be  the  wife  of  all  the  brothers." 

The  brothers  then  rose  up  from  the  waters.  They  found  the 
earth  overgrown  with  innumerable  plants,  so  high  that  they  almost 
reached  the  high  heavens.  The  Prachetas  brothers  were  angry  to 
find  such  growth  in  plants  and  they  resolved  to  destroy  them.  They 
emitted  fire  and  air  from  their  mouths,  which  caused  havoc  in  the 
vegetable  kingdom.  Brahma  came  and  pacified  the  sons  of  Barhi- 
shad.  He  advised  the  surviving  plants  to  give  their  adopted  daught 
er  Marisha  in  marriage  to  the  Prachetas  brothers.  The  offspring  of 
this  marriage  was  Baksha.  He  is  the  same  as  Prajapati  Daksha, 
son  of  Brahma.  His  degradation  was  owing  to  his  former  disre 
gard  of  Siva.  The  Chakshusa  Manvantara  witnessed  his  work  of 
creation. 

The  Prachetas  brothers  reigned  for  1000  Deva  years.  They 
were  succeeded  by  Daksha. 

THOUGHTS  ON  THE  ABOVE. 

[Consciousness  in  organic  life  had  appeared  with  Prithu.  The 
table  of  further  evolution  may  be  here"  reproduced  for  facility  of 
reference. 


[     99     ] 
Prithu. 

! / 

Vijitasva     Haryyaksha     Dhumraksha     Vrikd     Dravinas 
or  Antardhana.  (East)  (South)       (We3t)      (North) 

m.  Sikhandini         m.  Nabhasvati. 

T~  ~\~  ~T  Havirdhana 

Pavaka         Pavamana  Suchi 


ikla  Krishi 


Barhishad          Gaya         Sukla  Krishna   Satya      Jitavrata 

alias  Prachina  Barhis 
m.  Satadruti. 

i 

10  Prachetases 
m.  Marisha 


Dak< 


:sha. 

Vijitasva  could  make  himself  invisible.  This  may  have  reference 
to  the  state  of  the  body  at  that  stage  of  evolution.  The  fires  appeared 
as  it  is  they  that  give  forms.  The  object  corresponding  to  elemental 
fire  is  Rupa  or  form.  Barhishad,  the  name  of  one  class  of  Pitris,  was 
the  progenitor  of  the  form-producing  Linga  Sarira  with  all  its  poten 
tialities. 

We  find  the  senses  developed  in  his  sons  the  Prachetas  brothers. 
"  Pra"  Means  perfect  and  "  Chetas  "  is  the  perceiving  mind.  But  the 
mind  perceives  through  the  Indriyas,  which  are  ten  in  number.  There 
fore  they  are  ten  brothers  all  alike  ;  but  they  are  wedded  to  one  girl 


There  is  some  occult  connection  between  water  and  sense  per 
ception.  Barhishad  was  married  to  the  daughter  of  the  Ocean-god. 
The  Prachetas  brothers  remained  submerged  for  a  thousand  years  in 
the  waters.  The  protozoa  and  protophytes  must  of  necessity  be  aqua 
tic,  as  it  were,  for  the  development  in  them  of  sense  perceptions. 

It  is  in  Touch  that  the  sense  perceptions  find  a  common  basis. 
Touch  underlies  all  other  perceptions.  It  is  touch  of  the  object 
by  one  sense  or  other  that  gives  rise  to  one  perception  or  the  other. 
"  Kandu  "  is  primarily  scratching  or  itching,  secondarily  touch.  Mari 
sha  was  nourished  by  the  moon  and  brought  up  by  the  plants. 

The  period  refers  to  the  stage  of  evolution  when  the  vegetables 
formed  the  predominant  creation.  It  corresponds  somewhat  to  the 
geological  period  of  tree-ferns  and  lycopods  in  our  Manvantara. 

The  development  of  sense  perceptions  is  the  result  of  a  com 
munion  with  Vishnu,  under  the  auspices  of  Rudra.  This  means  a 


[    ioo    ] 

further  infusion  of  Satva  by  Vishnu,  which  was  made  possible  by  the 
dissolving  \influence  of  Siva.  And  the  son  of  the  Prachetas  brothers 
is  verily  I>aksha,  the  Prajapati  of  procreation,  reincarnated  under 
better  auspices  for  the  purpose  of  extending  the  creation.  So  we  find 
the  Trinity  acting  as  three  in  one  in  the  creative  process, 

With   the   appearance   of  Daksha  Jiva  evolution  comes  to  an 
end  in  the  first  Manvantara.  ] 


By  Bathiskmatt 


TABLE  V. 
Priyavrata 


By  another  wife 


jo  sons    (  Agnidhra,  Idhmajihva, 
Yajnavahu,  Mahavira, 
Hiranyaretas,  Ghritapristha, 
Savana,  Medhatithi,  Vitihotra, 
and  Kavi )  and  one  daughter 
Urjasvatt  married  to 
Sukracharyya. 

Agnidhra 

#?,  Purvachitti 


Uttama 
Tamasa,  and 
Raivata,   the 
Manus. 


Nabhi  Kimpurusha 

m.  Merudevt  m.  Ptatir&pa 


Hiranmaya 
m.  Sydmd 


ii  i 

Harivarsha  Ilavrita        Ramyak 

m.  Ugradanstti  m.  Lata       m.  Rarnya 

Kuru  Bhadr^sva  Ketumat 

m.  Nddi    m.  Bhadtd  m.  Devaviti 


RISHABHA 
m.  Jayanti 


\  ill  ii 

Bharata  Kusavartu     Ilavrita     Brahmavarta     Malaya    Ketu 

( Ajan^bhavas  I    Bhadrasena,  Indrasprik,  Vidarbha,    Kikata, 

called  after  him  Kavi,  Havis,  Antariksha,   Prabuddha, 

Bharatavarsha)  Pippalayana,  Avirhotra,  Dravida,  Chamasa, 

m.  Panchajani  Karabhojana,  and  81  more  sons. 


Sumati       Rashtrabhrit     SudarSana     Abharana    Dhumraketu 
m.   Vtiddhasend 

I 

Devatajit 
in.  Asmi 


Devadynmna 
/,  Dhenutnati 


Aja 


Pratihartri 
m.  Stuti 


t    ioi    ] 

Devadyumna 
m.  Dhenumati 


Paramesthin 
m.  Suvarchalti 


I 


Pratistotri 


Udgatri 


Bhuman 
.  Rishikulyd      m,    DevakulyA 


Udgitha 


Prastava 
m.   Virutsd 

Vibhu 
;;/.  Rati 

Prithusena 
m.  Akriti 

Nakta 
m.  Riti 

Gaya 

m.  Gay  ant  i 


Chitraratha 
m.   Urvd 


Samrat 
m.   Utkald 


Ma  rich  i 
m.  Vindumati 


Sugati 


Abhirodhana. 


Vindumat 
m.  Saraghft 


Madhu 


[       102      ] 

Madhu 
m.  Su  mafias 

i 

Viravrata 
m.  Bhojd 


Manthu 
m.  Satya 

Bhauvava 

Tvastri 
m.  Virochand 

i 

Viraja 
m.    Vishtichi 


I 
Pramanthu 


I 
joo  sons 


i  daughter 


" "~  •  \j* '  "" 

TABLE  V. 

PRIYAVRATA. 
SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  i. 

Priyavrata  was,  from  the  beginning,  under  the  influence  of 
Narada.  So  he  declined  to  take  part  in  the  rule  of  the  universe  ;  till 
at  last  Brahm^  persuaded  him  not  to  shirk  his  assigned  work.  King 
Priyavrata  married  Barhishmati,  the  daughter  of  Visvakarma.  By 
her  he  had  ten  sons  Agnidhra  &c.,  all  names  of  Agni. 

Of  these  ten,  Kavi,  Mahavira  and  Savana  were  spiritually  in 
clined  and  they  became  Parama  Hansas  (Parama  Hansa  is  one  who 
gives  up  the  world  entirely  and  becomes  fixed  in  Brahma).  Priya 
vrata  had  by  another  wife  three  sons  :  Uttama,  Tamasa  and  Raivata. 
They  all  became  Manus. 

Priyavrata  reigned  for  400,000,000  years.  The  Sun-god  Aditya 
moves  round  the  Sumeru  Mount  and  sends  his  rays  up  to  the  Loka- 
loka  range,  illumining  half  the  regions  while  the  other  half  remains 
dark.  King  Priyavrata  in  the  exuberance  of  spiritual  power  determin 
ed  to  illuminate  the  dark  regions  and  to  make  it  all  day  and  no  night. 
He  followed  the  Sun-god  seven  times  with  a  chariot  as  swift  and 
bright  as  that  of  the  Sun-god  himself  even  as  though  he  were  a 
second  Aditya.  Brahma  appeared  saying  "  Desist,  O  Son,  this  is 
not  thy  assigned  duty  in  the  universe."  The  ruts  caused  by  the  wheel 


t     103    1 

of  Priyavtata's  chariot  are  the  seven  oceans,  which  gave  rise  to  the 
seven  Dvipas — Jambu,  Plaksha,  Salmali,  Kusa  Krauncha,  paka  and 
Pushkara.  / 

Of  these  Dvipas,  each  succeeding  one  is  twice  as  large  as  the 
one  preceding  it.  The  seven  oceans  respectively  consist  of  (i)  Kshara 
(Salt),  (2)  Ikshu  (Sugarcane  juice),  (3)  Sura  (wine),  (4)  Ghrita 
(clarified  butter),  (5)  Kshira  (milk),  (6)  Dadhi  (curd)  and  (7)  Suddha 
(pure  water). 

They  are  like  ditches  round  the  Dvipas  and  their  dimensions 
are  the  same  as  those  of  the  corresponding  Dvipas, 

King   Priyavrata   divided  the  seven  Dvipas   among  his   seven 
sons  thus : — 

To  Agnidhra,  he   gave    Jambu  Dvipa. 

„     Idhmajihva,  „       „         Plaksha  Dvipa. 

„     Yajnavahu,  „       „         Salmali  Dvipa. 

„     Hiranyaretas,         „       „         Kusa  Dvipa. 
„     Ghritapristha,        „       „         Krauncha  Dvipa. 
„     Medhatithi,  „       „         Saka  Dvipa. 

.,     Vitihotra.  „       „         Pushkar  Dvipa. 

He  gave  his  daughter  Urjasvati  in  marriage  to  Sukra.  The 
famous  Devayani  was  their  daughter. 

SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  2. 

King  Agnidhra  presided  over  Jambu  Dvipa.  He  saw  the 
Apsara  Purva-chitti  and  became  love-stricken,  so  much  so  that  he 
became  a  jada  (Jada  is  literally  fixed,  materialized  hence  idiotic, 
mad.) 

The  King  had  by  her  nine  sons  Nabhi,  Kimpurusha,  Harivarsha 
Ilavrita,  Ramyak,  Hiranmaya,  Kuru,  Bhadrasva  and  Ketumala. 
Each  of  them  presided  over  the  Varsha  of  his  name.  They  were 
respectively  wedded  to  the  following  nine  daughters  of  Meru, — Meru- 
devi,  Pratirupa,  Ugradanstri,  Lata,  Ramya,  Syama,  Nad,  Bhadra  and 
Devaviti. 

SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  4-6, 

Nabhi  had  for  his  son  RISHABHA  an  Incarnation  of  Vishnu. 
Rishabha  knew  his  Varsha  to  be  the  field  of  Karma.  He  married 
Jayanti  and  had  by  her  one  hundred  sons.  The  eldest  and  most 
qualified  of  his  sons  was  'Bharata.  Bharatavarsha  is  named  after 
him, 


t   104  ] 

The  chief  amongst  the  remaining  ninetynine  sons  were  Kusa- 
Varta  Ilav\irta,  Brahmavarta,  Malayaketu,  Bhadrasena^  Jndrasprik^ 
Vidarbha  knd  Kikata.  These  nine  were  the  immediate  successors  of 
Bharata  and  were  attached  to  him* 

Following  them  were  Kavi,  Hari,  Antariksha  Prabuddha,  Pip- 
palayana,  Abirhotra  Dravida  Chamasa  and  Karabhajana.  They  were 
devoted  to  Bhagavan.  Their  story  will  be  related  in  the  iith.  Branch 
of  this  Purana. 

The  younger  eighty  one  sons  were  devoted  to  karma  and  they 
were  great  performers  of  Yajna> 

Rishabha  called  his  sons  together  and  gave  them  proper  advice. 
He  taught  them  Atma  Vidya  and  revealed  to  them  his  own  nature  as 
the  all  pervading  Purusha,  free  from  Avidya. 

"  This  my  body  is  inconceivable.  My  heart  is  pure  Satva. 
All  impurities  were  cast  off  by  me.  Therefore  good  people  call  me 
"Rishabha"  (primarily  a  bull,  secondarily  the  best).  You  are  all 
born  of  my  heart  and  so  you  all  are  great ;  follow  your  brother  Bharata 
willingly.  By  serving  him  you  will  do  your  duty  by  your  subjects. 

So  saying,  he  made  over  the  reins  of  government  to  Bharata 
and  himself  became  a  Parama  Hansa.  He  took  the  vow  of  silence 
and  never  spoke  again.  He  looked  blind,  dumb  and  deaf  like  one 
obsessed  and  mad.  He  went  everywhere  in  this  state,  heedless  of 
what  others  said.  People  flocked  round  him  wherever  he  went. 
At  last  he  thought  the  rush  of  people  to  be  an  impediment  to  yoga 
and  took  the  vow  of  Ajagara  life  (Ajagara  is  a  huge  python  that 
does  not  move,  but  eats  whatever  comes  within  reach  of  its  mouth), 
He  remained  fixed  at  one  place. 

The  yoga  powers  (Sidhis)  sought  him  but  he  spurned  them 
all.  When  he  foresaw  the  end  of  his  prarabdha  karma  Rishabha 
went  about  at  will  and  travelled  in  Kanka,  Venkata,  Kutaka  and 
South  Karnataka.  While  in  the  forest  of  Kutaka  he  thrust  some  stones 
into  his  mouth.  At  that  time  the  wind  blew  high  and  the  bamboo 
topes  caught  fire  and  the  body  of  the  King  was  consumed.  In  Kali 
Vuga,  King  Arhat  of  Kanka,  Venkata  and  Kutaka  will  hear  of  the 
deeds  of  Rishabha  and  in  the  name  of  religion  will  introduce  all  sorts 
of  sacrilegious  practices  as  sanctioned  by  Rishabha's  example. 

SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  7. 

King  Bharata  married  Panchajani,  the  daughter  of  Visva.  He 
had  by  her  five  sons — Sumati,  Rashtrabhrit,  Sudarsana,  Abharana  and 
Dhumraketu.  This  Varsha  was  formerly  called  Ajanabha.  When 


f     'os    ] 

Bharata  became  king,  it  was  named  after  him  Bharata  Varsha.  King 
Bharata  performed  the  Vedic  Yajnas  and  made  offerings  to  the 
Devas.  But  he  knew  the  Devas  as  manifestations  only  of/  Vasudeva. 
His  mind  became  pure  and  filled  with  Satva.  He  lost  himself  in 
devotion  to  Vasudeva.  At  last  he  divided  his  kingdom  amongst  his 
sons  and  himself  went  fgr  Tapas  to  the  hermitage  of  Pulaha  in  the 
kshetra  of  Hari  on  the  Sacred  Gandaki.  He  meditated  in  his  heart  on 
the  lotus  feet  of  Bhagavan  and  became  suffused  with  ecstacy. 

Bharata  invoked  the  golden  Purusha  in  the  rising  sun  by  a 
special  Rik  (Vedic  Mantra)  and  addressed  Him  thus,  "  Let  us  attain 
the  spiritual  rays  of  luminous  Savitri  that  are  beyond  Rajas  and  that 
are  the  generators  of  Karmic  effects.  By  His  Manas  He  created 
this  universe.  He  preserves  the  Jiva  again  by  permeating  this 
universe." 

SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  8. 

Once  upon  a  time  king  Bharata  had  bathed  in  the  Gandaka  and 
after  performing  the  daily  practices  was  meditating  on  Pranava  on 
the  river-side.  A  deer  came  to  drink  water  at  the  time.  While  the 
animal  was  quenching  her  thirst  a  lion  roared  not  far  off  and  she  in 
r  jumped  into  the  river.  As  she  happened  to  be  big  with  child, 
she  was  delivered  of  it  at  the  time.  Exhausted,  the  deer  got  back 
to  the  river  side  only  to  die.  The  new  born  fawn  was  being  wash 
ed  away,  having  no  one  to  take  care  of  it.  Bharata  took  pity  on  the 
little  fawn.  He  took  it  up  and  brought  it  to  his  hermitage.  He 
brought  it  up  as  his  own  child  and  became  deeply  attached  to  it.  He 
constantly  thought  of  the  deer-child,  even  so  much  so  that  when  death 
approached  he  could  not  forget  it  and  became  re-born  in  another 
birth  as  a  deer. 

But  though  born  as  a  deer,  Bharata  did  not  lose  the  memory  of 
his  former  birth.  He  reflected  that  the  mind  that  had  been  trained 
and  controlled  in  the  worship  of  Vasudeva  we^gt  astray  only  for  the 
sake  of  one  deer-child.  He  left  the  Kalaftjara  hills  where  he  was 
born  as  a  deer  and  sought  for  Salagram,  sacred  with  the  Asramas  of 
Pulastya  and  Pulaha.  He  waited  calmly  for  the  exhauastion  of 
Karma  that  had  given  rise  to  his  deer  life.  He  then  gave  up  his  body 
in  the  sacred  waters  of  the  Gandaka. 

SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  9. 
» 

A  Brahmana  of  the  line  of  Angiras  had  nine  sons  by  one  wife. 
They  were  all  well  versed  in  the  Vedas,     He  had  one  son    by  another 
14 


wife  and  one  daughter.  This  son  was  said  to  be  an  incarnation  of 
Bharata.  VHe  was  afraid  of  sanga  (company),  so  much  so  that  he 
would  not  i;ven  speak  to  any  one  for  fear  of  acquiring  new  Karma. 
People  took  him  for  an  idiot.  His  father  strove  hard  to  teach  him 
the  Vedas  but  did  not  succeed.  His  parents  died  and  his  half 
brothers  had  charge  of  him.  Their  wisdom  was  that  of  the  Vedas. 
They  had  not  learned  Atma  Vidya.  So  they  did  not  understand  the 
nature  of  Bharata  and  neglected  him.  They  gave  him  poor  meals  for 
the  day's  work  in  the  fields. 

At  one  time  a  thief  wanted  to  propitiate  the  goddess  Bhadra 
Kali  by  human  sacrifice  in  order  that  he  might  be  blessed  with  a 
child.  The  victim  that  was  procured  somehow  untied  himself  and 
fled.  The  attendants  searched  for  him  on  all  sides  in  vain.  They  at 
last  fell  upon  Bharata  who  was  watching  in  the  fields  in  a  peculiar  way. 
They  found  him  most  suited  for  sacrifice  and  tied  him  up  and  carried 
him  to  the  altar  of  Kali.  He  was  duly  consecrated  and  the  priest 
took  up  a  sharp  instrument  to  cut  off  his  head.  Kali  could  no  longer 
remain  unconcerned.  She  rushed  forth  in  rage  from  out  of  her  image, 
wrested  the  knives  from  the  hands  of  the  thieves  and  cut  off  their 
heads. 

Once  upon  a  time  Rahugana  King  of  Sindhu  and  Saubifa 
was  travelling  in  a  palanquin.  The  chief  palanquin  bearer  on  reaching 
the  river  Ikshumati  went  in  search  of  a  bearer  and  on  finding  Bharata 
deemed  him  to  be  a  god-send.  He  found  his  limbs  strong  and  well- 
built  and  thought  him  capable  of  bearing  the  palanquin.  He  forced 
Bharata  into  the  service.  Bharata  though  quite  unfit  for  this  meni 
al  work  did  his  utmost.  But  he  was  in  the  habit  of  looking  forward 
for  the  distance  of  an  arrow  throw  and  then  taking  steps  in  advance, 
so  that  he  might  not  unwarily  kill  some  animal  under  his  feet.  He 
could  not  therefore  keep  pace  with  the  other  bearers  and  the  palan 
quin  lost  its  balance.  King  RahOgana  became  angry  and  reproached 
the  bearers.  They  complained  against  the  new  recruit.  The  king 
taunted  Bharata  with  these  words  ;  "  Oh  my  friend  I  dare  say  you  are 
tired — for  have  you  not  carried  me  long  and  for  a  long  distance  too. — 
and  you  appear  to  be  thin  indeed  and  weak.  Are  you  suffering  from 
decrepitude  ?  Are  not  these  your  fellow-mates." 

Bharata  kept  quiet.  For  these  taunting  remarks  did  not 
touch  him.  He  was  crystallised  in  wisdom  and  was  no  longer  troubl 
ed  with  the  false  preceptions  of  "  I  and  mine." 

The  palanquin  again  lost  its  balance.  The  king  lost  his  tem 
per  and  broke  forth  thus  ;  "  What  is  this  ?  are  you  alive  or  dead  ?  Do 


[    107    ] 

you  thus  disregard  my  orders  and  think  of  living  ?  You  must  be  a 
madman,  like  the  Death-god  I  will  punish  your  madnes^  and  bring 
you  to  your  senses."  King  RahOgana  was  proud  of  his  learning  and 
his  kingship.  He  was  inflated  with  Rajas  and  Tames.  He  had  there 
fore  no  hesitation  in  reproaching  that  lord  of  Yoga,  Bharata. 

Bharata  smiled  and  thus  replied  : — "  Thy  taunts  are  true,  O 
king  !  There  is  no  doubt,  I  am  neither  tired  nor  did  I  travel  long. 
For  thy  weight  does  not  affect  me  nor  have  I  any  distance  to  travel. 
Nor  could  I  be  called  fat.  For  the  body  is  fat  and  not  I.  It  is  by 
falsely  attributing  the  bodily  attributes  to  self  that  one  is  said  to  have 
thickness,  leanness,  disease,  hunger  thirst,  fear,  enmity,  desire,  sleep, 
attachment,  anger,  egotism,  pride  and  sorrow.  But  I  have  no  such 
false  perception. 

Thou  sayest  I  am  dead  even  when  alive.  But  such  is  the  case 
with  all  beings  for  they  are  all  subject  to  constant  transformations. 

Thou  chargest  me  with  disregarding  the  orders  of  my  Master. 
But  only  if  the  relationship  of  Master  and  servant  does  really  subsist, 
might  there  be  command  and  obedience.  But  where  is  that  relation 
ship  ?  If  thou  sayest,  in  the  ways  of  the  world,  thou  art  my  king 
momentary  though  these  ways  be,  please  tell  me  thy  behests. 

Thou  eallest  me  a  mad  man  and  dost  want  to  punish  me  and 
bring  me  to  my  senses.  But  I  am  not  mad,  though  I  may  look  so, 
for  I  am  fixed  in  the  meditation  of  Brahma.  But  still  if  thou  think- 
est  me  to  be  a  madman  it  will  be  useless  to  punish  or  to  teach  a 
senseless  being." 

So  saying  Bharata  continued  to  carry  the  king.  Rahugana 
came  down  from  the  palanquin  and  fell  at  Bharata's  feet.  He  ex 
pressed  regret  for  having  slighted  such  a  sage  in  disguise  and  prayed 
for  a  fuller  explanation  of  the  philosophy  involved  in  his  weighty 
words.  This  led  to  an  explanation  by  Bharata  of  the  Advaita  phi 
losophy  from  the  stand  point  of  the  Puranas,  a  denunciation  of  Vedic 
and  Tantric  rites,  and  an  allegorical  description  of  the  wordly  life  as 
trading  in  the  forest  (the  world  being  the  forest  and  the  traders  being 
men  in  search  of  wealth).  The  allegory  was  explained  by  Suka  to 
Parikshit.  [  The  enquiring  student  is  referred  to  the  original  for 
details  (V.  11-14,)] 

SKANDIIA  V.  CHAP.  15. 

We  must  hurriedly  refer  to  the  line  of  Bharata.  Sumati  was 
the  son  of  Bharata.  Ill  guided  men  in  the  Kali  Yuga  will  call  him  a 
God.  In  his  line  Pratiha  was  master  of  Atma  VidyA.  Coming  lower 
down  by  far  the  most  renowned  king  in  the  line  of  Bharata  was  Gaya 


Viraja  was  also  well   known.     Of  the  hundred  sons  of  Viraja,  the 
eldest  wasvSatajit  or  the  Conquerer  of  the  hundred. 

V 

[THOUGHTS  ON  THE  LINE  OF  PRIYA  VRATA.] 

Priya  Vrata  means  literally  one  of  welcome  (Pnya}  deeds 
(  Vrata ). 

Priya  Vrata,  was  under  the  influence  of  Narada  from  the  be 
ginning  and  he  declined  to  go  along  the  Descending  path  or  Pravritti 
Marga.  He  was  wedded  to  the  daughter  of  Vishva  Karma. 

Vishva  Karm&  is  the  cosmic  manufacturer.  The  work  of  this 
Prajapati  extends  over  the  whole  of  Triloki  and  he  is  the  architect  of 
all  systems  and  chains  included  in  the  Triloki — Priya  Vrata,  as  we 
shall  see  later  on,  represents  the  earth  chain  only  or  the  system 
known  as  Bhur. 

What  we  generally  call  the  Solar  system  is  a  misnomer.  For 
the  sun  stands  between  Bhur  Loka  and  Svar  Loka  and  illumines  both 
the  Lokas  with  its  rays.  The  Solar  System  is  therefore  properly 
speaking  the  whole  of  the  Triloki.  In  speaking  of  Priya  Vrata, 
therefore,  the  Bhagavata  restricts  itself  to  the  regions  illumined  by 
the  sun  as  well  as  by  the  moon  (V-I5-I.) 

We  shall  enter  into  a  detailed  description  of  the  whole  system 
in  the  next  chapter.  Let  us  take  here  a  passing  glance  of  the  line  of 
Priya  Vrata. 

We  take  Priya  Vrata  to  be  the  Earth  chain  complete  in  itself 
or  rather  the  progenitor  of  the  Earth  chain. 

Meru  or  Sumeru  is  the  axis  of  Bhur  Loka,  its  highest  point 
being  the  highest  point  of  Bhur  Loka. 

The  sun  god  revolves  round  this  central  axis. 

The  Earth-god  Priyavrata  also  revolved  round  Meru  i.  e.  the 
Earth  rotated  round  its  own  axis  at  a  very  rapid  rate  for  some  time 
during  its  infancy. 

The  rotation  of  the  Earth  was  followed  by  the  separation  of 
layers.  The  part  most  removed  from  the  centre  was  first  affected. 

In  this  way  seven  distinct  layers  were  formed.  The  layer  to 
wards  the  circumference  was  the  most  spiritual.  That  towards  the 
centre  was  the  most  material. 

The  reason  of  this  is  to  be  found  in  the  action  of  the  three 
Gunas  and  Tamas. 


Satva  is :  on  the  material  plane,  light,  transparent,  with  up 
ward  motion.  On  the  mental  plane,  buoyant  and 
cheerful,  with  true  perception,  spiritual.  ' 

Rajas  is  :  on  the  material  plane,  constantly  moving,  translucent, 
with  motion  on  the  same  plane,  without  levity  or 
gravity. 

On  the  mental  plane,  constantly  active,  partly  joyful,  partly 
sorrowful,  with  partially  true  and  partially  false  per 
ception,  intellectual. 

Tamas  is  :  on  the  material  plane,  heavy,  opaque,  with  down 
ward  motion. 

On  the  mental  plane  indolent,  melancholy,  nonperceptive  or 
dull. 

The  centripetal  force  is  the  action  of  Tamas  and  is  connected 
with  materiality.  The  centrifugal  force  is  the  action  of  Satva  and  i* 
connected  with  spirituality. 

Of  the  seven  Dvipas,  the  central  is  the  Jambudvipa,  which  is 
the  most  material. 

The  one  farthest  from  the  centre  is  the  Pushkara  Dvipa. 

The  spaces  intervening  between  the  layers  or  Dvipas  are  the 
seven  oceans.  They  partake  of  the  characteristics  of  the  Dvipas, 
which  they  respectively  surround.  Thus  the  salt  ocean  surrounding 
the  Jambu  Dvipa  is  the  most  material.  The  materiality  is  indicated 
by  the  word  "  salt,"  which  implies  gross  matter. 

Priyavrata,  it  is  said,  went  seven  times  round  Meru,  and  at 
the  time  of  each  rotation,  one  ocean  and  its  corresponding  Dvipa 
were  formed. 

But  when  the  Dvipas  and  the  oceans  were  all  formed  that  par 
ticular  motion  of  the  whole  system  was  lost. 

Since  then  days  and  nights  are  solely  caused  by  the  motion  of 
the  sun  round  Meru  along  the  Manasottara  range. 

The  seven  Dvipas  may  be  the  Globes  A,  B,  C,  D,  E,  F,  and 
G  of  Theosophical  literature. 

The  rulers  of  these  seven  Globes  are  seven  sons  of  Priyavrata, 
named  after  Agni  or  Fire. 

Agni  is  here  the  form-giving  Energy  of  each  Globe. 

Of  the  ten  sons  of  Priyavrata,  seven  only  became  Rulers  of  the 
Globes,  but  the  other  three  «Kavi,  Mahavira  and  Savana,  had  nothing 
to  do,  with  the  creative  process.  They  are  highly  spiritual  entities 
beyond  the  plane  of  the  seven  Globes. 


t     no    ] 

The  daughter  of  Priyavrata  was  Urjasvati.  The  word  means 
full  of  Energy.  She  was  wedded  to  Sukra,  the  presiding  god  of  the 
planet  Venus. 

Her  daughter  is  the  renowned  Devayani,  who  was  married  to 
King  Yayati.  She  stands  for  Devayana,  the  Radiant  Path  of  the 
Upanishads,  which  transcends  the  Triloki. 

Of  the  sons  of  Priyavrata,  we  of  Jambu  Dvipa  or  Globe  D  are 
directly  concerned  with  Agnidhra,  who  presided  over  its  earliest 
destinies. 

The  Bhagavata  does  not  relate  the  genealogy  of  the  other  sons 
as  at  present  we  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  life-evolution  on  these 
globes. 

The  process  of  materialisation  is  indicated  by  the  Jada  state 
of  Agnidhra  on  seeing  the  Apsaras  Purvachitti. 

The  sons  of  Agnidhra  are  the  nine  Varshas  or  Continents.  Ws 
shall  learn  the  details  of  these  Varshas  subsequently.  Of  these 
Varshas  again,  we  are  directly  concerned  with  Nabhi.  The  word 
Nabhi  means  navel,  which  is  at  the  centre  of  the  body.  The  Nabhi 
Varsha  is  the  pivot  on  which  the  other  Varshas  hang.  The  Nabhi 
Varsha  is  what  we  know  as  our  Earth.  The  nine  Varshas  are  also 
placed  layer  over  layer,  as  the  Dvipas  are. 

When  Nabhi  underwent  further  transformation,  Rishabha  be 
came  his  son.  In  Rishabha,  we  come  to  a  turning  point.  He  is  said  to 
be  an  Incarnation  of  Vishnu.  The  word  "Rishabha"  means  bull. 
But  that  meaning  does  not  give  us  any  help  in  understanding  Rishabha 
and  his  work. 

Priyavrata  moved  rapidly  round  Meru,  till  the  globes  were 
formed.  This  is  in  accordance  with  the  Nebulous  theory  of  Laplace. 
When  the  globes  were  formed,  the  Earth  became  denser.  As  the 
density  increased,  the  movement  of  the  Earth  became  irregular,  till  at 
last,  the  planet  became  fixed.  This  is  not  the  western  idea.  The 
Pauranic  idea  is  that  the  sun  moves  round  the  Earth,  and  the  Earth 
remains  fixed  in  its  position.  The  story  of  Priyavrata's  line  is  based 
upon  this  idea.  Another  idea  of  the  ancients  was  that  the  planets 
had  speech,  till  they  became  solidified. 

Rishabha  took  upon  himself  the  vow  of  silence.  His  son 
Bharata  became  speechless  as  a  deer. 

It  was  necessary  to  put  a  limit  to  the  materiality  of  the  Earth. 
The  hard  crust  that  formed  the  shell  of  the  planet  could  not  be 
allowed  to  affect  its  heart.  The  Earth  was  not  to  lose  all  spirituality. 


[  I"  ] 

Therefore  Vishnu  incarnated  in  Rishabha  so  that  spirituality  might 
be  stored  in  our  planets,  for  the  evolution  of  those  Jivas  that  dwelt 
over  it.  Look  at  a  Parama  Hansa  ;  the  ascetic  that  neither  speaks 
nor  moves.  Judging  from  outside,  he  is  no  better  than  a  mute  animal, 
but  he  is  all  spirituality  within.  Such  is  the  nature  of  our  mother 
Earth. 

The  thrusting  of  stones  into  the  mouth  of  Rishabha  is  sugges 
tive. 

The  sons  of  Rishabha  are  the  countries  of  our  Earth.  Of 
these  Bharata  (India)  was  the  first-born.  The  spiritual  character  of 
this  holy  land  is  shewn  by  the  story  of  Bharata. 

Bharata  was  obeyed  and  imitated  by  nine  brothers,  of  whom 
Brahma- varta  is  well-known  as  dscribed  by  Manu.  Malaya  is  Mala 
bar.  Vidarbha  is  Berar  and  Kikata  is  Bihar. 

The  sons  of  Rishabha  very  likely  include  all  the  countries  oi 
the  Earth. 

Rishabha  called  his  sons  and  asked  them  to  follow  Bharata. 
Will  other  lands  now  follow  that  advice  ? 


THE  EARTH  CHAIN,  BHUVANA  KOSHA. 
SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  16. 

Said  Parikshit : — "  Thou  hast  given  the  bare  outline  of  these 
regions  of  the  universe  which  are  lighted  by  the  sun  and  where  the 
moon  and  the  luminous  starry  host  are  also  seen. 

Thou  hast  hereby  mentioned  the  seven  oceans  and  the  seven 
Dvipas,  but  thou  hast  not  given  the  details  thereof.  Suka  replied  : — 

Imagine  the  Bhu-mandala  or  the  Earth  chain  to  be  the  peri 
carp  of  a  lotus.  Imagine  there  are  seven  sheaths  immersed  in  it — the 
seven  Dvipas.  The  central  sheath  is  Jambu  Dvipa.  It  is  Niyut 
Yojanas  in  area  (Niyut=  1,000,000  But  Sridhara  Svami  here  ex 
plains  Niyuta  as  meaning  one  laksha  or  100,000.  So  according  to 
Sridhara  the  area  of  Jambu  Dvipa  is  800,000  miles).  Jambu  Dvipa 
is  round  like  the  lotus  leaf. 

There  are  nine  Varshas  in  Jambu  Dvipa,  each  nine  thousand 
Yojanas  in  area  completely  divided  by  eight  mountain  ranges.  (Bha- 
drasva  and  Ketumala  form*  exceptions,  for  they  extend  over  34,000 
Yojanas.  Some  take  nine  thousand  Yojanas  to  be  the  expanse  be 
tween  the  Nila  and  Nishadha  ranges.  The  Vayu  Purana  describes 


[       "2      ] 

the  position  thus  : — Two  Varshas  are  situated  like  two  bows  north 
and  south.  Four  are  placed  longways.  Ilavrita  is  as  it  were  with 
four  petals.  Sridhara.  This  gives  7  x  9000  +  34000  =  97000). 

ILAVRITA  IS  THE  CENTRAL  VARSHA. 

Sumeru  is  situated  in  the  navel  of  this  Varsha.  This  king  of 
mountains  is  gold  all  through.  It  is  a  laksha  Yojanas  high.  If  the 
Earth  chain  be  taken  to  be  a  lotus,  this  Meru  is  its  pericarp.  It  is 
32,000  Yojanas  as  the  top  and  16,000  Yojanas  at  the  foot  and  16,000 
Yojanas  under  the  ground. 

(By  saying  16000  Yojanas  at  the  foot,  84000  Yojanas  are  left 
out.  Thus  the  Vishnu  Purana  says — the  Meru  is  84000  Yojanas  over 
the  ground  and  16000  under  the  ground,  at  the  top  32000  and  at  the 
foot  16000.  Sridhara.  16000  +  84000=100000). 

On  the  north  of  Ilavrita  are  the  three  mountain   ranges   Nila, 

and  Sringavan  in  order.  They  are  respectively  the  boundary 
ranges  of  Ramayak,  Hiranmaya  and  Kuru.  They  spread  east  and  west 
up  to  the  salt  ocean.  They  are  two  thousand  Yojanas  wide.  In  length, 
each  succeeding  one  is  a  little  over  one  tenth  part  shorter  than  the 
preceding  one.  (There  is  no  difference  in  height  and  in  width,  Sridhara). 

So  on  the  south  of  Ilavrita  are  the  three  ranges  Nishadha, 
Hemakuta  and  Himalaya  spreading  east  and  west  like  the  preceding 
ones.  They  are  10,000  Yojanas  in  height.  They  are  the  boundary 
ranges  respectively  of  Harivarsha,  Kinpurusha  and  Bharata.  (This 
— 10,000  Yojanas — is  also  the  height  of  Nila,  Sveta  and  Sringavnct 
The  width  of  these  ranges  again  is  that  of  Nila,  and  others.  By 
Bharata  we  are  to  understand  Nabhi. 

On  the  west  of  Ilavrita  is  the  Malyavat  range  and  on  the  east 
lies  the  Gandha  Madana  range,  These  ranges  extend  north  up  to  the 
Nila  range  and  on  the  south  up  to  the  Nishadha  range.  They  are 
two  thousand  Yojanas  wide.  They  are  the  boundary  ranges  of  Ketu- 
mala  and  Bhadrasva  respectively.  (East  and  west  there  is  the  Meru 
surrounded  by  Ilavrita,  then  there  are  the  two  ranges  Malyavat  and 
Gandha  Madana,  and  the  two  varshas  Bhadrasva  and  Ketumala  and 
nothing  besides). 

North  and  south,  there  is  the  Meru  then  Ilavrita,  6  mountain 
ranges  and  6  Varshas,  3  on  each  side  and  nothing  else. 

[  Where  do  you  then  get  a  laksha  of  Yojanas  ?  It  is  said  ; — 

Meru  has  a  diametar  of  16,000.  Ilavrita  has  18,000.  The  6 
Varshas  have  6x9,000=54,000.  The  6  .mountain  ranges  have  to 
gether  a  width  of  6  x  2,000  =  1 2,000.  Thus  north  and  south,  we  have 
1 6,000  +  1 8,000  -f  54,000  +  1 2,000  =  1 00,000. 


t     "3     ] 

East  and  west  we  have  34000  (9000+16000  +  9000)  across 
Meru  and  Ilavrita  and  the  two  mountain  ranges  2x2000  =  4000. 

The  expanse  of  the  two  Varshas  up  to  the  ocean  sjde  is  62000. 
This  gives  us  34000 +  4000 +  62000=  100,000.  Thus  there' is  no  conflict. 
Sridhara* 

[This  discussion  of  Sridhara  throws  immense  light  on  the  text 
We  find  that  the  area  is  measured  by  the  diameter.  We  find  that 
16000  is  the  diameter  of  Meru  at  the  foot.  We  find  that  Ilavrita 
has  9000  from  Meru  to  Nila  and  9000  from  Meru  to  Nishadha.  We 
understand  also  why  BhadrSs'va  and  Ketumala  were  said  to  be  excep 
tions,  their  expanse  being  34,000.  A  diagram  will  now  best  illustrate 
what  we  say.] 

JAMBU  DVIPA. 


9,000 

^^^^^^ 

Harivarsh 

•~* — - — • — ^W 

Kinpurusha 


[  Bharata  as  a  Varsha  must  not  be  mistaken  for   India,      For 
Bharata  here  stands  for  Nabhi  or  the  whole  of  our  known  earth. 

Bharata  Varsha  extends  from  the  base  of  the  Earth   opposite 
the  Himalayas  on  the  side  of  America  to  the  highest  point  of  the 
Himalayas.] 
15 


[     "4     ] 

Kinpurusha  Varsha,  so  called  from  its  dwellers,  extends  from 
the  highest  point  of  the  Himalayas  as  its  base  to  the  highest  point  of 
Hemakuta. 

So  with  the  other  Varshas. 

It  will  be  seen,  that  we  have  no  idea  of  any  of  the  mountains, 
besides  the  Himalayas. 

Ilavrita  stands  on  the  same  level  with  Ketumala  and  Bhadrasva. 
If  these  three  be  taken  as  one,  we  get  the  number  7.  Five  other 
Dvipas  have  7  Varshas  only.] 

On  the  four  sides  of  Meru  are  the  four  mountains — Mandara, 
Meru  Mandara,  Suparsna  and  Kumud.  They  are  ten  thousand 
Yojanas  in  height  and  expanse. 

(There  are  two  mountains  east  and  west,  their  expanse  being 
north  and  south.  There  are  other  two  north  and  south,  their  ex 
panse  being  east  and  west.  Otherwise  if  these  mountains  were  to 
encircle  Meru,  Ilavrita  would  not  be  in  existence.  Sridhara). 

On  these  four  mountains  respectively  are  four  big  trees  of 
Mango,  Jamboland,  Kadamba  and  the  sacred  Fig.  They  are  the 
Jbanners  as  it  were  of  the  Mountains.  They  are  1 1000  Yojanas  high 
and  they  also  spread  over  this  area.  Their  width  is  one  hundred 
Yojanas. 

There  is  one  lake  below  each  of  these  trees :  milk,  sugarcane 
juice  and  pure  water  respectively.  The  use  of  these  fluids  gives 
natural  Yogic  powers  to  the  Upadevas  ( lesser  devas  ). 

There  are  also  four  gardens  of  the  Devas,  viz.  Nandana,  Chaitra- 
ratha,  Vaibhrajoka  and  Sarvato-bhadra. 

The  Devas,  adored  by  the  Upadevas  amuse  themselves  in 
those  gardens. 

Big  fruits  with  nectar-like  juice  fall  from  the  mango  tree  on 
Mandara. 

(  The  Vayu  Purana  gives  the  measure  of  the  fruit.  The  Rishis 
who  perceive  truths  give  the  measure  of  the  fruits  to  be  108  cubits 
with  the  fist  closed  ( aratvi)  and  also  61  cubits  more.  Sridhara) 

When  these  fruits  drop  down,  they  give  out  a  very  sweet,  very 
fragrant,  profuse  reddish  juice  which  collects  to  form  the  river  called 
Arunoda,  having  water  of  the  color  of  Aruna  or  the  morning  Sun. 
This  river  waters  the  Eastern  part  of  Ilavrita.  The  use  of  its  water 
gives  such  a  sweet  scent  to  the  body  of  the  female  attendants  of 
Durga  that  the  wind  carries  that  scent  to  ten  Yojanas  around. 


[    "5    ] 

So  the  Jambu  river  is  formed  by  the  juice  of  the  fruits  that 
drop  down  from  the  Jambolova  tree  in  Meru  Mandara.  It  waters 
the  southern  part  of  Ilavrita.  f  • 

The  land  on  the  banks  of  these  rivers  is  soakecl  by  their  juice 
and  worked  on  by  air  and  light  and  is  thus  converted  into  gold 
called  Jambunada,  which  gives  ornaments  to  the  Devas. 

Aruna  is  the  morning  Sun,  as  well  as  the  color  of  the  morning 
Sun.  The  river  with  Aruna  water  is  also  gold  producing. 

The  Kadamba  tree  on  Suparsva  has  cavities  from  which  flow 
five  streams  of  honey,  each  5  Vyamas  wide  (  Vyama  =  the  space  be 
tween  the  tips  of  the  fingers  of  either  hand  when  the  arms  are  extend 
ed.)  These  streams  water  the  western  part  of  Ilavrita.  The  fra 
grant  breath  of  those  that  use  them  spreads  over  one  hundred 
Yojanas  all  round. 

The  fig  tree  ( Vata )  called  Satavolsa  on  the  summit  of  Kumu- 
da  has  branches  which  give  rise  to  rivers  that  bring  forth  milk,  curd, 
honey,  clarified  butter,  molasses,  edibles,  carpets,  cloths,  ornaments, 
in  fact  all  objects  of  desire.  These  rivers  fall  from  Kumuda  and 
water  the  northern  part  of  Ilavrita. 

Those  that  use  the  waters  of  those  rivers  are  free  from  all  in 
firmities,  diseases,  secretions,  old  age  and  death.  They  live  in  abso 
lute  bliss  all  their  lives. 

There  are  twenty  more  mountains  on  all  sides  of  Meru,  at  its 
foot.  They  are  Kuranga,  Ktirara,  Kusumbha  Naikovka,  Trikuta, 
Sisira,  Patanga.  Ruchoka,  Nishadha  Sitivasa,  Kapila  Sankha,  Vai- 
durya,  Jarudhi,  Housas,  Rishabha,  Naga,  Kalanjara,  Nirada  and 
others. 

-  Two  mountains,  Jatharu  and  Devakuta,  are  situated  on  the  east 
of  Meru.  They  are  two  thousand  Yojanas  in  height  and  in  width. 
To  the  north  they  spread  over  1 8,000  Yojanas. 

So  on  the  west  there  are  the  two  mountains  Pavana  and 
Pariyatra. 

On  the  south  there  are  Kailasa  and  Karavira,  which  expand 
towards  the  east.  So  on  the  north,  there  are  Trisringa  and  Makara. 
(If  different  measures  are  given  in  Vishnu  and  other  Puranas,  they  are 
with  reference  to  different  Kalpas.  Sridhara}. 

The  sages  say  that  in  the  central  portion  of  the  top  of  Sumeru 
is  the  abode  of  Brahma,  made  of  gold,  10,000,000  Yojanas  in  area, 
and  of  four  equal  sides. 


[     "6     ] 

Surrounding  the  abode  of  BrahmA  are  the  eight  abodes  of  the 
eight  Lokapalas  situated  respectively  in  the  directions  presided  over 
by  these  Lokapalas.  Each  of  these  abodes  has  the  color  of  its  own 
Lokap^la  and  each  extends  over  2^  thousand  yojanas.  (TJie  names 
of  these  abodes  are  given  in  other  Puranas.  Thus  : — 

Manovati  is  the  abode  of  Brahma. 

Amaravati     „  „  Indra. 

Tejovati         „  „  Agni. 

Sanyavati      „  „  Yama. 

Krishnangana  „  Nairita. 

Sradhavati     „  „  Varuna. 

Gandhavati    „  „  Vayu. 

Mahodaya     „  „  Kubera. 

Yasovati  Is*a. 


THE  GANGES. 
SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  7. 

The  Avatara  Vamana  asked  Bali,  the  Daitya  King,  for  as 
much  space  as  he  could  cover  in  three  steps.  The  first  step  covered 
the  earth.  Vamana  then  raised  his  foot  over  the  heavens  and  the 
stroke  of  his  left  toe-nail  caused  a  hole  in  the  cosmic  egg.  Water 
entered  the  hole  from  outside,  water  that  carried  the  washings  of 
Vishnu's  feet  and  that  was  consequently  capable  of  purifying  all 
the  impurities  of  the  world  and  that  was  in  itself  very  pure,  water 
that  was  then  called  Bhagavat  pudi.  In  a  thousand  yugas  the  stream 
reached  the  highest  point  of  Svar  Loka,  called  Vishnupada. 

Dhruva  carried  the  stream  on  his  own  head  with  ever  increasing 
devotion. 

The  seven  Rishis  (of  the  Great  Bear)  carry  the  sacred  water  in 
their  braided  tufts  of  hair,  as  something  better  than  Mukti,  for  the 
stream  of  devotion  flows  from  Vishnu  direct. 

Thence  the  stream  passes  through  the  path  of  the  Devas,  studded 
with  thousands  and  thousands  of  starry  chariots,  till  it  overflows  the 
lunar  regions  and  fall  down  on  the  abode  of  Brahm&  in  Meru. 

There  the  stream  divides  itself  into  four  parts  called  Sita,  Alaka- 
nanda,  Vankshu  and  Bhadra. 

The  Sita  flows  from  the  abode  of  Brahma  through  the  highest 
mountain  ranges,  she  comes  down  to  Gandha  Madana,  thence  through 
Bhadrasva  Varsha  she  falls  into  the  salt  ocean  towards  the  east. 


[     "7     1 

So  the  Vankshu  flows  through  the  Malyavat  range  into  Ketumala 
Varsha  and  falls  on  the  west  into  the  Salt  ocean. 

The  Bhadr&  flows  north  from  the  Sumeru  peak  through  several 
mountain,  ranges  down  to  Sringavat  range  and  passes  through  Kuru  in 
to  the  Salt  ocean. 

The  Alakananda  flows  south  from  the  abode  of  Brahma  through 
several  mountain  ranges  to  Hema  Kuta  and  thence  to  Himalaya  till  it 
reaches  Bharata  Varsha  (/.  e.  Nabhi  Varsha)  and  at  last  flows  through 
it  into  the  Salt  ocean. 

There  are  a  thousand  other  rivers  and  a  thousand  other  moun 
tains  in  each  Varsha. 

[The  real  source  of  the  Ganges  is  not  the  melting  of  snow  in  the 
Himalayas.  That  may  be  the  source  of  the  waters  that  swell  the  bed 
of  the  Ganges,  as  we  see  it.  But  the  Ganges  is  something  more  than 
a  volume  of  waters.  There  is  a  spiritual  current  underlying  its  waters. 
That  current  comes  from  regions  higher  than  the  highest  peak  of  the 
Himalayas.  Hence  the  great  sanctity  attached  to  it]. 


THE  MYSTERIES  OF  THE  VARSHAS. 
SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  17-19. 

Of  the  nine  Varshas,  Bharata  is  the  field  of  Karma  (I  must  now 
once  for  all  remind  my  readers  that  Bharata  when  mentioned  as 
a  Varsha  means  Nabhi  Varsha,  the  whole  of  this  visible  earth  from 
the  highest  point  of  the  Himalayas  downwards).  The  other  Varshas 
are  places  of  fruition  of  the  merits  of  those  that  go  to  Svarga.  Hence 
they  are  called  terrestrial  (Bhourna)  Svargas. 

(Svarga  is  of  three  kinds  : — 

(a)  Divya  viz.  Svarga  proper  or  Swar  Loka. 

(b)  Bhouma  or  terrestrial  and  (c)  Bila  or  Patalic.     Sridhara.} 
Ildvrita. — The   dwellers   of  this   Varsha   live   for   ten  thousand 

years  of  human  measure.  They  are  like  Devas.  They  have  the 
vitality  of  ten  thousand  elephants.  Their  body  is  strong  like  the 
thunderbolt.  They  enjoy  with  women  all  their  lives  and  only  one 
year  before  death  do  the  women  bear  children.  They  always  live  as 
it  were  in  Treta  Yuga. 

Narayana — the  Mah£  Purusha  pervades  all  the  Varshas  for 
their  good,  in  different  forms  of  His  Chatur  Vyuha  (Vasudeva,  San- 
karshana,  Pradyumna  and  "Anirudha) 


[     "8     ] 

In  Iiavrita,  Bhava  or  Siva  is  the  only  male.  Other  mates  do 
not  enter  that  Varsha,  for  they  know  the  curse  of  Bhavani  (Durga) 
that  whoever  should  enter  the  Varsha  was  to  become  a  female. 

£ 

Bhava  is  adored  by  millions  of  women.  He  meditates  on  the 
fourth,  the  Tamasa  Murti  of  Mahapurusha  viz.  Shankarshana.  He 
recites  the  following  mantra  and  runs  about : — 

"  Om  Namo  Bhagavate  Maha  Purushaya  Sarva-guna  Sankhay- 
naya  Anantaya  Avyaktaya  Namaha." 

Om,  Salutations  to  Bhagavat  Maha  Purusha,  salutations  to 
the  manifester  of  all  Gunas,  the  Endless,  the  Unmanifested." 

Then  follows  a  prayer  to  Sankarshana  for  which  readers  are 
referred  to  the  original  Bhadrdsva. 

Bhadrasravas  is  the  lord  of  Bhadrasva.  He  and  his  followers 
dwell  there,  they  meditate  on  the  Hayasirsha  aspect  of  Vasudeva, 
they  recite  the  following  mantra  and  run  about. 

"  Om  Namo  Bhagavate  Dharmaya  Atma-visodhanaya  namah." 

Om  salutations  to  Bhagavat  Dharma ;  salutations  to  him  who 
purifies  the  soul  ; 

Then  follows  a  prayer  to  Hayagriva  Haiivarsha. 
The  renowned  saintly  Daitya  Prahlada  with  the  dwellers  of 
this  Varsha  adore  Him  and  recite  the  following  mantra. 

"  Om  Namo  Bhagavate  Sri  Nara  Sinhaya  Namastejastejase 
Aviravir  bhava  vajranakha  vajra-danstra  Karma-Sayan  randhaya 
randhaya  tamo  grasa  om  Svaha  Abhayam  Abhoyam  Atmani  bhu- 
yisthuh  om  kshroum." 

Om  salutations  to  Bhagavat  Sri  Hrisinha,  Salutations  to  the 
fire  of  all  fires!  Manifest  Thyself!  Manifest  thyself  O  thunder-nailed  t 
O  thunder-toothed !  Burn  up,  burn  up  all  desires !  devour  Tamas  I 
Om  Svaha  !  Freedom  from  fear,  freedom  from  fear  be  in  us.  Om  I 
Kohraum ! 
Ketumdla. 

Pradyumna  or  Kamadeva  presides  over  Ketumala  in  order  to 
please  Lakshmi  Samvatsara  (one  year),  the  daughters  of  Samvatsara 
viz :  the  nights  and  Sons  of  Samvatsara  viz :  the  days.  The  days 
and  nights  are  36,000  in  number  /.  e.  as  many  as  are  contained  in  the 
full  term  of  a  man's  life  (one  hundred  years).  These  days  and  nights 
are  the  lords  of  Ketumala  Lakshmi  with  whom  the  dwellers  of 
Ketumala  adore  Kamadeva. 

(The  mantra  and  prayer  are  then  given.) 


[     "9     1 

Ramyaka. 

Matsya  (The  Fish  Incarnation)  presides  over  Ramyaka,    Manu 

is  the  King. 

(Mantra  and  prayer  follow)  0J 

Hiranmaya. 

Kurma  (the  Tortoise  Incarnation)  presides  over  Hiranmaya. 
Aryaman  the  chief  of  the  Pitris  dwells  there  with  others. 

(Mantra  and  prayer  follow) 
Kum. 

Varsha  or  the  Boar  Incarnation  presides  over  Kuru.  Bhur 
with  the  dwellers  of  Kuru  adore  him. 

(Mantra  and  prayer  follow.) 
Kinpurusha. 

In  Kinpurusha,  Hanuman  with  the  dwellers  of  the  Varsha 
worship  the  Adipurusha  Rama,  brother  of  Lakshamana  and  husband 

of  Sita. 

(Mantra  and  prayer  follow.) 
Bhdrat  Varsha. 

Nara  Narayana  presedes  over  this  Varsha.  There  are  various 
( castes )  and  Asramas  in  this  Varsha.  Narada  of  great  devotion 
leads  the  people  of  this  Varsha.  His  object  in  so  doing  is  to  teach 
to  Savarni,  the  coming  Manu,  the  Sankhya  and  Yoga  (as  related  in 
theBhagavat  Gita)  together  with  the  full  realisation  of  Bhagavat  (  as 
related  in  the  Pancharatras). 

[  This  mission  of  Narada  is  specially  noteworthy.] 
(  Mantra  and  prayer  follow.) 

In  this  Bharata  Varsha  there  are  many  mountains  and  rivers. 

Maloya,  Mangalaprastha,  Mainaka,  Trikuta,  Rishava,  Kutaka, 
Konva,  Sahya,  Rishyamuka,  Srisaila,  Venkata,  Mahendra,  Varidhara, 
Vindhya,  Saktiman,  Riksha,  Paripatra,  Drona,  Chitrakuta,  Gobar- 
dhana,  Raivatak,  Kakubha,  Nila,  Gokamukha,  Indrakila,  Kamagirl 
and  hundreds  and  thousands  of  other  mountains  are  situated  in  this 
Varsha. 

The  following  are  the  principal  rivers  Chandvavasa,  Tamva- 
parni,  Avatoda,  Kritamala,  Vaihayasi,  Kaveri,  Venua,  Payasvini, 
Sarkaravarta,  Krishnavenua,  Bhimrathi,  Godabari,  Nirvindhya,  Pa- 
yoshni,  Tapi,  Reva,  Surasa,  Narmada,  Charmanvati,  Andha,  Sonaf 
Mahanadi,  Vedasmriti,  Rishikulya,  Trisama,  Kousiki,  Mandakini, 
Yamuna,  Sarasvati,  Drishacjvati,  Gomati,  Saraju,  Aghavati,  Shastha- 
vati,  Saptavati,  Satadru,  Sushoma,  Chandrabhaga,  Maruduridha, 
Vitasta,  Asikini  and  Visva. 


t      120      ] 

Those  that  acquire  birth  in  this  Varsha  have  recourse  to  Svarga, 
humanity  and  Naraka  respectively,  according  as  their  Karma  is  White 
(Satvic),  Red  (Rajasic)  or  Black  (Tamasic).  The  People  acquire  Moksha 
in  this  Varsha  in  accordance  with  their  Varna  (Caste).  (This  is 
because  Karma  according  to  caste  prevails  in  this  Varsha,  not  that 
Moksha  is  not  otherwise  attainable.  Sridhara). 

And  what  is  moksha  in  this  Varsha?  It  is  the  Companionship 
of  Mahatmas  (Mahapurushas)  brought  about  by  the  destruction  of  the 
bonds  of  Avidya  caused  by  various  births.  And  that  Moksha  is  in 
reality  unceasing,  unselfish  devotion  to  the  All-pervading,  Indestruc 
tible,  Causeless  Paramatma  Vasudeva. 

Even  the  Devas  say  :  —  "  How  fortunate  are  these  people  of 
Bharat  Varsha  !  For  Hari  is  kind  to  them,  even  without  many  per 
formances  and  they  are  so  adapted  for  communion  with  Hari  by 
devotion.  We  have  attained  Svarga  by  the  performance  of  Yajna. 
But  we  shall  have  to  be  born  again  after  the  end  of  the  Kalpa.  What 
good  is  in  this  state,  which  does  not  bring  us  in  direct  communion 
with  Vishnu  ?  These  people  of  Bharat  Varsha  even  with  their  short 
lives  acquire  the  state  of  Hari.  If  there  be  any  Karma  left  to  us 
after  the  enjoyment  of  Svarga  may  we  be  born  as  men  that  we  may 
worship  Hari." 

Some  say  there  are  eight  upadvipas  in  Jambu  Dvipa,  formed 
by  the  sons  of  Sagara  when  they  dug  up  this  earth  in  search  of  the 
sacrificial  horse.  They  are  Svarna  Prastha,  Chandra  Sukla,  Avar- 
tana,  Ramanaka,  Manda-harina,  Panchajanya,  Sinhala  and  Louka. 


THE  DVlPAS. 
SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  20. 

Plaksha  Dvipa 

Jambu  Dvipa  is  surrounded  by  the  salt  ocean  on  all  sides, 
That  ocean  extends  over  Laksha  Yojanas.  That  salt  ocean  is  again 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  Plaksha  Dvipa,  which  extends  over  2 
laksha  of  Yojanas. 

There  is  one  golden  Plaksha  tree  in  that  Dvipa  as  high  as  the 
Jambu  tree  in  Jambu  Dvipa  and  the  Dvipa  itself  takes  its  name  from 
that  tree.  There  Fire  is  seven  tongued. 

Idhmajihva  son  of  Priyavrata  ruled  over  this  Dvipa,  He  divided 
the  Dvipa  into  seven  Varshas  and  named  them  after  his  seven  sons 
each  of  whom  ruled  over  the  Varsha  of  his  name. 


Siva,  Vayasa,  Subhadra,  S£nta,  Kshema,  Amrita  and  Abhoya 
are  the  Varshas. 

Manikuta,  Vajrakiita,  Indrasena,  Jyotishmat,  Siabarna,  Hira- 
nyasthiva  and  Meghmala  are  the  seven  chief  mountains. 

Aruna,  Nrimana,  Angirasi,  Savitri,  Supravata,  Ritambhara, 
and  Satyambhara"  are  the  seven  great  rivers. 

Hansa,  Patanga,  Urdhayana  and  Satyanga  are  the  correspond 
ing  castes. 

The  dwellers  of  the  Dvipa  live  for  one  thousand  years.  They 
look  like  Devas  and  procreate  after  Deva  fashion.  They  worship  the 
Surya  (Sun-god)  of  the  Vedas. 

(The  Mantra  is  given) 

In  Plaksha,  Salmali,  Kusa,  Krouncha  and  Saka,  the  inmates 
have 'their  age,  Indriyas,  strength,  power  and  Budhi  by  their  very 
birth  and  not  by  Karma. 

The  Dvipa  is  surrounded  by  the  Sugar  cane  juice  ocean  which 
extends  over  2  laksha  of  Yojanas. 

Sdlmali  Divpa: — Twice  as  large  as  Plaksha  Dvipa.  The  ocean  of  wine 
surrounding  it  is  equally  large. 

Tree  : — Salmali  (Bombax  Malabaricum)  as  high  as  the  Plaksha 
tree  said  to  be  the  seat  of  Garuda. 

King-. — Yajna-vaha  son  of  Priyavrata. 

Seven  Varshas  and  seven  sons  of  Yajnavdha : — Surochana, 
Soumanasya,  Ramanaka,  Devvarha  Paribhadra,  Apyayana  and 
Abhijhata. 

Seven  principal  mountains : — Surasa,  Sata  Sringa,  Vamadeva, 
Kunda,  Kumuda,  Pushpa  Varsha  and  Sahosra. 

Seven  great  rivers: — Anumati,  Sinivati,  Sarasvati,  Kuhu, 
Rajani,  Nanda  and  Raka. 

Divisions  of  people  : — Srutidhara,  Viryadhara,  Vasundhara, 
and  Ishundhara. 

Presiding  deity  : — The  Moon. 

Kusa  Dvipa  : — Twice  as  large  as   Salmali   Dvipa  surrounded  by  an 
ocean   of  clarrified  butter  equally  large, 
16 


t      122      ] 

Tree-. — Clusters  of  Kusa  grass  glowing  and  glittering. 
King-. — Hiranyaretas  son  of  Priyavrata. 

Seven    Vatshas :— Vasu,  Vasudana,  Dridharuchi,  Nabhigupta, 
Satyavrata,  Bikranama,  and  Devanama. 

Seven  mountains  : — Babhra,  Chatur-Sringa,  Kapila  Chitra  Kuta, 
Devanika,  Urdharomau  and  Dravina. 

Seven  Rivers: — Raaskulya,    Madhukuly&,  MitravindS,  Sruta- 
vinda,  Deva  Garbha,  Ghutachynta,  and  Mantramala. 

Divisions  of  People: — Kusala,  Kovida,  Abhiyukta  and  Kulaka 
Presiding  Deity : — Agni  (Fire-god). 

Kwuncha  Dvipa  : — Twice  as  large  as  Kusa,  surrounded  by  an  ocean 
of  milk  equally  large.  Named  after  the  Krouncha  Mountain. 
The  Krouncha  Mountain  was  attacked  by  Kartikeya  and  in 
jured  too.  But  the  Milk  Ocean  and  the  presiding  deity  Varuna 
saved  it. 
King : — Ghritaprestha  son  of  Priyavrata. 

Seven  Varshas : — Atma,  Madhuruha,  Meghapristha,  Sudhawan, 
Bhrajistha,  Lohitarna,  Vanaspati. 

Seven  Mountains : — Sukla,  Vardhaman,  Bhajana,  Upavarhaha, 
Nauda,  Nandana  and  Sarvato-bhadra. 

Seven  Rivers: — Abhoya,  Amritougha  Aryuka,  Tirthavati, 
Rupavati,  Pavitravati  and  Sukla. 

Divisions  of  people : — Purasha,  Rishabha,  Dravina  and  Devaka. 
Presiding  Deity  : — Apas — (  Water-God.) 

Sdka  Dvipa  : — 32  laksha  Yojanas.     Surrounded  by  an  ocean  of  curds 
— equally  extensive. 

Tree : — Saka  (Teak  wood  tree)  very  fragrant. 
King : — Medhatithi,  son  of  Priyavrata. 

Seven  Varshas  : — Purojava,  Manojava  Vepamana  Dhumranika, 
Chitrarepha,  BahurQpa  and  Visva-dhara. 

Seven  Mountains: — Isana,  Uru  Sringa,  Balabhadra,  Sata 
Kesara,  Sahasra-srotas,  Devapala  and  Mohanasa. 

Seven  Rivers: — Anagha,  Ayurda,  Ubhayaspriti,  Aparajita, 
Punchapadi,  Sahasra  Sruti  and  Nijadhriti. 


(      123      ] 

Division  of  people  : — Ritavrata,     Satyavrata,   Danavrata  and 
Anuvrata. 

Presiding  Deity  : — Vayu  (Wind-god). 

Pushkara  Dvlpa  : — Twice  as  large  as  Saka  Dvipa  surrounded  by  an 
ocean  of  pure  water — equally  extensive  :  There  is  a  big  Push 
kara  or  Lotus  plant  with  thousands  of  golden  leaves.  The 
Lotus  is  known  as  the  seat  of  Brahma. 

Standing  between  two  Varshas,  eastern  and  western,  is  the 
Manasattara  Mountain  ten  thousand  Yajanas  high.  On  the  four 

sides  of  this  Mountain  are  four   abodes   of  the  Lokapalas  =  Indra 
and  others. 

Over  these  abodes  the  Sanvatsava  or  Uttar^yana — Dakshina- 
yana  wheel  (  chakra  )  of  the  Sun's  chariot  moves  in  its  course  round 
Meru. 

Vitihotra,  Son  of  Priyavrata,  is  the  king  of  this  Varsha. 

His  two  sons  Ramanaka  and  Dhataka  are  the  lords  of  two 
Varshas  named  after  them. 

The  people  of  those  Varshas  worship  Brahma  by  Yajna  per 
formances. 

Beyond  the  Ocean  of  pure  water  is  the  Lokaloka  (Loka  and 
Aloka)  Mountain,  dividing  Loka,  the  regions  lighted  by  the  sun,  from 
Aloka  or  the  regions  not  lighted  by  the  sun. 

As  much  land  as  there  is  between  Manasottara  and  Meru,  so 
much  golden  land  is  there  on  the  other  side  of  the  pure  water  ocean. 
It  is  like  the  surface  of  the  mirror.  If  any  thing  is  thrown  on  that 
land,  it  is  not  regained.  It  is  therefore  forsaken  by  all  beings.  [The 
land  between  Manasottara  and  Meru  is  one  krore  and  a  half  plus  seven 
and  a  half  lakhs.  There  is  as  much  land  on  the  other  side  of  the  Pure 
Water  Ocean.  There  are  living  beings  in  that  land.  Beyond  that  is 
the  golden  land.  That  land  is  eight  krores  and  thirty  nine  laksha 
yojanas  wide.  It  is  thus  that  the  distance  between  Meru  and  Lokaloka 
comes  to  be  12^  krores  as  mentioned  below.  This  is  also  said  in 
the  Siva  Tantra. 

"Two  krores  53  lakshas  and  50  thousand  this  is  the  measure 
of  the  seven  Dvipas  with  the  Oceans.  Beyond  that  is  the  golden 
land  which  is  10  Krores  of  Yojanas.  This  is  used  by  the  Devas  as 
their  play-ground.  Beyond  that  is  Lokaloka.  The  ten  krores  include 
the  previously  mentioned  land,  "  For-saken  by  all  beings  " — this  is  to 
be  understood  with  the  exception  of  the  Devas,  for  it  is  mentioned  as 
the  play-ground  of  the  Devas.  Siidhara. 


[       I24      ] 

In  order  to  understand  the  commentary  of  Sridhara,  let  us 
examine  the  figures. 

Jambu  Dvipa  with  Ocean-  on  one  side 

of  Meru  ...  ...  150,000     Yojanas 

Plaksha  Dvipa   with  Ocean    on    one 

side  of  Meru  ...  ...  400,000 

Salmali         Do.  ...  ...  800,000 

Kusa             Do.  ...  ...  1600,000 

Krouncha     Do.  ...  ...  3200,000 

Saka              Do.  ...  ...  6400,000 

Pushkar        Do.  ...  ...  12800,000 

Deduct  Pure  water  Ocean  as  it  is  not 
included  between  Meru  and 
Manasottara  ...  ...  6400,000 


18950,000 

Manasottar  stands  half  way  in  Push- 
kara,  as  it  stands  between    two 
Varshas.     Deduct  distance   bet 
ween    Manasottara   and    Pure 
Water  Ocean  ...        3200,000 


15750,000 

The  distance  between   Meru   and   Manas6ttara  is  i^  Krores 
and      £  lakhs. 


According  to  Sridhara,  there  is  this  much  land  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Pure  Water  Ocean. 

Beyond   that   land   is   the   Golden    land    which   according   to 
Sridhara  \s  ...  ...         83900000     Yojanas 

Thus  we  get  Dvipas  and  Oceans    ...         25350000  „ 

Land  beyond  Pure  Water  Oceans  ...         15750000  „ 

The  Golden  land  ...  ...         83900000          „ 


125000000 

Thus  we  get  the  12^  krores  of  Sridhara.  Beyond  the  Golden 
land  is  the  Lokaloka  Mountain.  This  will  also  explain  the  quotation 
from  Siva  Tantra.  The  following  Diagram  will  partially  illustrate 
the  points. 


t  125  ] 

Lokaloka 


The    Golden    Land 


Land  beyond  Pure  Water 
Ocean 

Pure   Water    Ocean 


cd 

-g     (  *  *  Manas6ttara 

C/i 


Milk  Ocean 
Saka 
Sour  Milk  Ocean 

Krouncha 


Clarified  Butter  Ocean 
Kusa 


Wine  Ocean 
Salmali 


Sugarcane  Juice  Ocean 

Plaksha 
Salt  Ocean 

*  Meru,  Jambu 


[     126     ] 

The  Lakaloka  is  the  boundary  of  three  Lokas,  Bhur,  Bhuvar, 
and  Svar. 

The  rays  of  the  numerous  bodies  from  the  Sun  up  to  Dhruva 
illuminate  the  regions  on  the  Triloka  side  of  Lokaloka  but  they  can 
never  reach  its  other  side.  For  such  is  the  height  and  expanse  of 
Lokaloka — (It  is  even  higher  than  Dhruva.  So  it  is  the  boundary 
of  Triloki.  Sridhara}. 

The  Bhu-Golaka  or  the  Bhur  system  measures  50  Krores. 
And  Lokaloka  is  one-fourth  of  that  i.e.  12^  Krores  (on  one  side  of 
Meru.  Sridhatd}. 

Over  this  Lokaloka,  Brahma  placed  4  Elephant  Kings  in  four 
different  directions  viz\  Rishabha,  Pushkarachura,  Vamana  and  Apa- 
rajica.  This  is  for  the  preservation  of  the  Lokas. 

Bhagavan  Maha  Purusha  (Vishnu)  Himself  remains  there. 
He  enfuses  various  powers  into  the  Elephant  Kings  and  into  the 
Lokapalas  (preservers  of  the  Lokas)  Indra  and  others  who  are  but 
His  manifestations.  He  pervades  all.  He  manifests  His  pure  Satva. 
The  charateristics  of  that  satva  are  the  eight  Siddhis. 

Dharma,  Jnana,  Vairagya,  Aisvarya  &c.,  Vishvaksena  and 
His  other  Companions  are  with  Him.  His  own  weapons  are  in  his 
hands.  He  remains  there  for  the  good  of  all  Lokas. 

To  the  end  of  the  Kalpa,  Vishnu  remains  in  this  way  perva 
ding  all  for  the  preservation  of  the  Universe  formed  by  His  own 
Maya. 

The  measure  of  Aloka  is  also  12^  Krores  (on  one  side  of 
Meru.  Sridhara ). 

Beyond  Aloka  is  Visuddha  ( very  pure  region  )  where  only 
masters  of  Yoga  can  go. 

The  Sun  stands  in  the  centre  of  the  Egg.  That  is  also  the 
middle  ground  between  Svar  and  Bhur.  Between  the  Sun  and  the 
Circumferance  of  the  Egg  is  25  Crores. 

The  Sun  is  called  Martanda  (  Mrita  and  anda )  because  in 
Mrita  or  dead  matter  he  enfused  life  as  Vairaja.  He  is  called  Hi- 
ranya  Garbha  ( Gold  wombed  )  because  he  came  out  of  the  Golden 
Egg- 

The  sun  divided  space  into  Bhur,  Bhuvar  and  Svar.  The  Sun 
divides  the  regions  of  enjoyment  and  Moksha.  He  divides  the  Nara- 
kas  and  Patalas.  He  is  the  Atma  of  Devas,  men,  animals,  plants 
and  other  Jivas.  He  is  the  manifester  of  sight. 


t      127      ] 

SVAR  AND  BHUVAR. 

> 

SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  21. 

The  localisation,  measure  and  other  details  of  Bhur  have  been 
given  above.  ( By  expanse  50  Krores  and  by  height  25  Krores 
Sridhara ). 

The  measure  of  Svar  is  the  same  as  that  of  Bhur— Just  as 
one  cotyledon  gives  the  measure  of  the  other  cotyledon  in  a  flower. 

Bhuvar  is  the  connecting  link  of  Bhur  and  Svar. 


THE  SUN. 
SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  21-22. 

The  Sun  from  the  Bhuvar  Loka  sends  forth  his  rays  to  Triloki. 

• 

(  Here  follow  astronomical  details  which  need  not  be  given.) 

When  the  Sun  is  between  the  Autumn  and  spring  Equinoxes 
it  is  called  Uttarayana  (or  going  towards  the  north.)  Then  the  Sun's 
motion  is  said  to  be  slow. 

When  the  Sun  is  between  the  spring  Equinox  and  Autumn 
Equinox,  it  is  Dakshinayana  (  Going  towards  the  south.)  The  Sun's 
motion  is  then  said  to  be  Quick. 

When  the  sun  is  at  the  Equinoxes  it  is  Vishuva.  The  Sun's 
motion  is  then  said  to  be  Even. 

When  it  is  Dakshinayana,  the  days  increase.  When  it  is 
Uttarayana  the  nights  increase. 

The  sages  teach  9  Krores  and  51  lakhs  of  Yojanas  as  the 
Circumferance  of  Manasottara. 

[On  both  sides  of  Mem  up  to  M^nasottara  is  3  Krores  and 
15  lakhs.  The  Measure  of  the  above  circle  is  obtained  from  this 
^  diameter ).  Sridkara.] 


t     128     ] 

[  A  full  diagram  of  the  Bhur  system  will  now  have  to  be  given, 
to  explain  the  above  figures.  For  the  sake  of  convenience,  the 
Dvipa  and  its  ocean  are  given  as  one. 


From  Meru  to  Lokaloka  on  one    side  ...  12^  Krores 

on  both  sides  ...  25              „ 

Loka  loka  on  both  sides  ...  25               „ 

Measure  of  Bhur  system  ...  50              „ 

Distance  from  Meru  to  Manasottora  15,750,000 

On  both  sides                                     ...  31,500,000 

The  Manasottara  range  is  a  circle  of  which  the  last  figure  is  the 
diameter. 


over  3. 


Meru. 


The  circle  is  obtained  by  multiplying  the  diameter  by  a  little 

The  circle  is  thus  given  to  be  —  9  Krores  and  5  1  Lakshas. 

The  Manasottara  is  the  path  of  revolution  of  the  sun  round 


[     129    1 

On  the  East  side  of  Meru  in  the  Manasottara  is  the  seat  of 
Indra  named  Devadhanl. 

On  the  South  side  is  the  seat  of  Yama  named  Sanyamanf. 
On  the  West  is  the  seat  of  Varuna  named  NimlQcHani ; 
On  the  North  is  the  seat  of  the  Moon  named  Vibhavarf. 

Sunrise,  midday,  Sunset  and  night  on  those  seats  cause  action 
and  Inaction  in  beings,  according  to  the  time  with  reference  to  the  side 
of  Meru. 

(For  those  that  live  to  the  south  of  Meru,  their  east  &c.  com 
mence  from  the  abode  of  Indra,  of  those  that  live  to  the  west  from 
the  abode  of  Yama,  of  the  northern  people,  from  the  abode  of 
Varuna,  of  the  eastern  people  from  the  abode  of  the  Moon.  Spt- 
dkara.) 

Those  that  live  on  the  Meru  have  the  Sun  always  over  their 
heads. 

The  Sun's  chariot  makes  one  round  along  Manasottara  in 
one  year.  The  wheel  or  chakra  of  the  chariot  is  therefore  called 
Sanvatsara. 

The  12  months  are  the  12  spokes  of  that  wheel.  The  six  sea 
sons  form  6  arcs. 

The  pole  of  that  chariot  extends  to  the  top  of  Meru.  The 
other  end  of  the  pole  is  on  the  Manasottara,  (It  is  either  to  be 
thought  that  the  wheel  is  placed  more  than  50,000  Yojanas  over  the 
Manasottara  in  the  regions  of  air  or  the  wheel  is  to  be  considered  as 
high  as  that  distance,  otherwise  the  Manasottara  being  10,000  Yoja 
nas  high  and  Meru  being  84  Yojanas  high,  16  thousand  being  under 
ground,  there  will  be  a  difference  of  planes  in  the  Sun's  revolution. 
Sridhara.) 

There  is  another  movement  of  the  Sun  round  Dhruva.  Ttte 
radius  of  that  revolution  is  one  fourth  the  distance  between  Meru 
and  Manasottara  i.e.  (i.e.  %  X  15,750,000=3,937,500). 

The  movement  round  Dhruva  is  caused  by  the  action  of  air. 

The  seat  within  the  chariot  is  36  laksha  of  Yojanas  wide.  The 
yoke  is  also  of  the  same  measure.  The  seven  horses  are  the  seven  Vedic 
metres  CG^yatri,  Ushnik,  Anustup,  Vrihatf,  Pankti,  Tristup  and  Ja- 
gati).  They  are  driven  by  Aruna. 

The  thumb  sized  B&likhilya  Rishis  stand  in  front  of  the  cha 
riot  and  chant  hymns  in  honor  of  Aditya. 
17 


[     130    ] 
THE  PLANETS  AND  STARS. 

SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  22-23. 

The  moon  is  one  laksha  of  Yojanas  over  the  Sun.  The  growing 
Moon  makes  the  day  of  the  Devas  and  the  waning  Moon  is  the  life 
of  all  Jivas,  in  fact  he  is  Jiva. 

He  is  Manomaya,  Annamaya  and  Amritamaya.  From  him 
therefore  proceed  the  life  and  advancement  of  Devas,  Pitris,  Men, 
Animals  and  Plants. 

Two^laksha  of  Yoanas  over  the  Moon  are  the  27  Zodiacal  cons 
tellations  and  also  the  star  Abhijit  ( a  mysterious  star  between 
Uttarashadha  and  Sravana  )  attached  to  the  wheel  of  time. 

Two  laksha  of  Yojanas  over  them  is  Sukra  or  Venus.  His 
movements  are  like  those  of  the  Sun.  He  is  ever  favourable  to  men. 
His  progression  is  generally  accompanied  by  showers  of  rain.  He 
also  subdues  those  planets  that  counteract  the  rains. 

Two  laksha  of  Yojanas  over  Sukra  is  Budha  or  Mercury.  He  is 
much  like  Sukra  in  his  movements  and  is  generally  favourable  to  men. 
But  when  he  transgresses  the  Sun,  there  is  fear  of  high  winds,  rain 
less  clouds  and  drought. 

Two  laksha  of  Yojanas  over  Budha  is  Mangala  or  Mars.  He 
moves  round  the  Zodiac  in  three  fortnights.  He  is  generally  un 
favourable  to  men,  causing  miseries,  unless  he  proceeds  by  retrogres 
sion. 

Two  laksha  of  Yojanas  over  Mars  is  Brihaspati  or  Jupiter.  He 
moves  in  each  sign  of  the  Zodiac  for  one  Parivatsara  ( year  of 
Jupiter ),  if  there  is  no  retrogression.  He  is  generally  unfavorable  to 
the  Brahmanas. 

Two  laksha  of  Yojanas  over  Jupiter  is  Sanaischara  or  Saturn. 
He  loiters  in  each  sign  of  the  Zodiac  for  thirty  months.  He  com 
pletes  his  round  in  thirty  Anuvatsaras.  He  is  generally  unfavourable 
to  all  and  causes  unrest. 

Eleven  laksha  of  Yojanas  over  Saturn  are  the  Rishis.  Their 
influence  is  for  the  good  of  all  people.  They  revolve  round  the  Supre 
me  abode  of  Vishnu. 

Thirteen  laksha  of  Yojanas  beyond  the  Rishis  is  Dhruva,  which 
is  the  Supreme  abode  of  Vishnu. 

All  luminous  bodies  attached  to  the  wheel  of  time  move  round 
Dhruva  being  propelled  by  Vayu  while  Dhruva  remains  fixed. 


The  planets  and  stars  remain  fixed  in  their  relative  positions, 
under  the  union  of  Prakriti  and  Purusha  by  the  future  made  for  them 

by  their  Karma. 

t 
Some  however  say  that'the  luminous   bodies  became  fixed  in 

their  relative  positions  by  the  Yoga  support  of  Vasudeva,  being  held 
together  in  the  shape  of  Sisumara  ( the  Gangetic  porpoise )  The 
Sisumara  has  its  face  downwards  and  its  body  is  coiled. 

Dhruva  is  at  the  end  of  its  tail.  Prajapati,  Agni,  Indra  and 
Dharma  are  in  the  lower  part  of  the  tail.  Dhata  and  Vidhata  are  at 
the  root  of  the  tail.  The  seven  Rishis  are  in  the  middle.  On  the 
right  side  are  the  fourteen  Stars  from  Abhijit  to  Punarvasu.  On  the 
left  side  are  the  14  stars  from  Pushya  to  Uttara  Sarha.  So  on,  all 
the  stars  and  planets.  (  For  details  refer  to  the  original ). 

The  Sisumara  is  the  Universal  manifestation  of  Mah£  Purusha. 


[  The  following  Geo-centric  diagram  is  given, 
the  positions  of  the  planets. 


as  illustrative   of 


[     132    ] 

THE  PATALAS 

SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  24. 

Ten  thousand  Yojanas  below  the  Sun  is  Rahu,  son  of  Sinhika. 
Though  an  Asura,  by  favour  of  Bhagavan  he  became  a  planet  and 
immortal  too  like  the  Devas. 

Ten  thousand  Yojanas  below  Rahu  is  the  abode  of  the  Siddhas, 
Charanas  and  Vaidyadharas. 

Below  that  is  the  abode  of  the  Yakshas,  Rakshasas,  Pisachas, 
Pretas,  and  Bhfitas.  This  abode  extends  down  to  the  regions  of  air 
and  clouds. 

One  hundred  Yojanas  below  that  is  the  Earth,  The  details  of 
the  Earth's  surface  have  been  given  above. 

Underneath  the  Earth  are  the  seven  Patalas  :— Atala,  Vitala, 
Sutala,  Talatala,  Mahatala,  Rasatala  and  Patala.  They  are  ten 
thousand  Yojanas  apart  from  each  other. 

In  these  nether  Svargas,  Daityas,  Danavas  and  Nagas  dwell. 
Their  enjoyments,  power,  joys  and  luxuries  are  even  greater  than 
those  of  the  Devas  of  Svarga.  Their  houses,  gardens  and  play 
grounds  are  very  rich.  They  are  always  joyous.  They  are  at 
tached  to  their  wives,  sons,  friends  and  attendants.  By  the  grace  of 
tsvara,  their  desires  are  always  gratified. 

Maya,  the  Danava  Magician,  has  built  wonderful  houses,  gar 
dens  &c.  in  these  regions  with  precious  stones. 

There  are  no  divisions  of  time,  as  the  Sun's  rays  do  not  enter 
those  regions  and  no  disturbances  from  such  divisions.  All  darkness 
is  removed  by  the  light  of  the  precious  stones  on  the  head  of  the 
serpent  king. 

The  people  of  Patala  use  divine  herbs  and  medicines,  and 
consequently  they  have  no  infirmities,  diseases,  old  age,  langour  and 
offensive  secretions. 

They  have  no  death  except  by  the  Chakra  of  Bhagavan  (*'.  e. 
final  extinction). 

Atala: — Bala,  the  son  of  Maya  resides  in  Atala  (Maya  is  a 
masculine  form  of  Maya — the  root — Prakriti).  He  created  here  96  forms 
of  Maya.  The  Mayavins  (those  who  practice  Magic)  still  have  re 
course  to  those  forms.  When  he  yawns,  three  classes  of  women 
spring  into  existence  viz:  (i)  Svairini  (self  willed  loose  women),  (2) 
( passionate  women)  and  (3)  Punschali  (unchaste  women). 


[     133     ] 

If  any  one  enters  Atala  these  women  completely  allure  him  by 
their  H£taka  (golden)  charm,  and  when  the  man  is  completely  over 
come  by  their  allurements,  he  says  "  I  am  fs*vara"  "  I  am  Siddha." 

[  The  women  are  only  forms  of  Maya  because  Maya  is  perso 
nified  as  an  alluring  woman.  A  man  in  Atala  is  completely  under 
the  domination  of  Maya  and  becomes  estranged  from  spirit.  So 
Maya  is  all  in  all  to  him  and  he  knows  no  other.  ] 

Vitala  :— Below  Atala  is  Vitala.  There  Bhava  (Siva)  theking  of 
Gold  reigns  in  company  with  his  consort  Bhav^ni,  attended  by  Bhutas. 
He  remains  there  for  the  benefit  of  the  Prajapati  creation.  The 
fluid  of  intercourse  with  Bhavani  gives  rise  to  a  river  called  Hataki 
(Golden).  Agni  kindled  by  V£yu  drinks  up  that  river  and  gives  out 
the  gold  called  Hataka  which  is  used  in  ornaments  by  the  Asuras  who 
dwell  there, 

(We  have  known  Siva  as  the  Astral  Lord.  We  find  him  here 
engaged  in  the  work  of  creation.  The  text  speaks  of  a  mysterious 
connection  between  him  and  the  gold  called  Hataka.  The  occult 
varieties  of  gold  such  as  Jamvanada  and  Hataka  form  a  fit  subject  of 
study.  Hataka  refers  to  the  Prajapati  creation.  There  is  duality  in 
Vitala,  as  distinguished  from  the  singleness  of  May&  in  Atala). 

Sutala : — Below  Vitala  is  Sutala.  There  the  renowned  Bali 
son  of  Virochana  still  dwells.  Vamana,  the  Dwarf  Incarnation  of- 
Vishnu,  took  away  the  Triloki  from  him  and  replaced  him  here.  His 
enjoyments  even  here  are  greater  than  those  of  Indra.  He  performs 
Sva-dharma  and  worships  Vishnu.  His  sins  are  all  removed. 
(  A  full  account  of  Bali  will  be  given  below.) 

Taldtala: — Below  Sutala  is  Talatala.  Maya, the  Danava  king, rules 
there.  His  "Three  Puras"  (abodes)  were  destroyed  by  Siva  who  is  hence 
called  Tripurari.  But  Siva  favoured  him  again  and  placed  him  in 
Talatala.  He  is  the  preceptor  of  all  Mayavins.  He  is  preserved  by 
Siva  and  he  has  no  fear  from  Sudarsana  ( the  chakra  weapon  of 
Vishnu,  which  symbolises  Time.) 

(Bali  and  Maya,  Triloki  and  Tripura,  the  seizure  of  one  and 
the  destruction  of  the  other,  the  restoration  of  Bali  to  Sutala  and  of 
Maya  to  Talatala,  the  favour  shown  to  them  in  those  regions,  the 
correspondences  of  Sutala  and  Talatala  are  worth  careful  consideration. 
In  the  case  of  one,  Vishnu  or  the  Preservative  aspect  of  the  Second 
Purusha  is  the  actor,  and  in  the  other,  Siva,  the  Destructive  .aspect.) 

Mahdtala : — Below  Talatala  is  Mahatala.  Many  headed 
serpents,  the  progeny  of  Kadru,  dwell  there.  The  chief  amongst  them 


[     134    ] 

are  Kuhaka,  Takshaka,  Kaliya,  Sushena,  and  others.  They  are 
always  afraid  of  Garuda,  the  Vehicle  of  Vishnu,  and  they  are  there 
fore  seldom  seen  to  indulge  in  pleasure-trips  outside. 

Rasdtala : — Below  Mahatala  is  Rasatala  ;  Daityas,  Danavas 
and  Panis,  named  Nivatakavachas,  Kalakeyas  and  Hiranyapuravasins 
dwell  there.  They  are  the  enemies  of  the  Devas.  They  are  powerful 
from  their  very  birth.  They  are  subdued  by  the  Sudarsana  of 
Vishnu.  They  are  like  serpents.  They  fear  even  the  threats  of  Sarama, 
the  bitch  of  the  gods  who  is  Indra's  messenger  to  them.  They  fear 
Indra  also. 

Pdtala  :— Below  Rasatala  is  Patala.  The  Nagas  dwell  there. 
Vasuki  is  their  chief.  The  other  principal  Nagas  are — Sankha,  Kulika, 
Maha  Sankha,  Sveta,  Dhananjaya,  Asvatara,  and  Devadatta.  Their 
hood  is  very  large  and  they  are  very  furious.  Some  of  them  are 
fiveheaded,  some  7  headed,  some  10  headed,  some  a  thousand  headed. 
The  precious  stones  on  their  hoods  dispel  all  darkness  in  Patala. 


ANANTA. 
SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  25. 

At  the  root  of  Patala,  thirty  thousand  Yojanas  beyond,  is  the 
Tamas  aspect  of  Bhagavan  called  Ananta.  Those  that  worship  the 
Chaturvyuha  aspect  call  him  Sankarshana.  He  has  a  thousand  heads. 
The  earth  held  up  on  one  of  these  heads  looks  but  like  a  mustard 
seed.  When  the  time  for  dissolution  comes,  Ananta  assumes  His 
Tamas  form  and  becomes  Rudra — other  wise  called  Sankarshana,  a 
host  of  eleven,  with  three  eyes,  three  tufts  of  hair  and  with  tridents  on 
their  heads.  At  other  times,  Ananta  withdraws  His  Tamas  and 
abides  for  the  good  of  all  Lokas.  His  eyes  roll  as  it  were  by  intoxi 
cation.  His  garments  are  blue.  He  has  one  ear-ring.  He  has  a 
plough  on  his  back. 


THE  NARAKAS. 
SKANDHA  V.  CHAP.  26. 

Where  are  the  Narakas,  O  Rishi,  asked   Parikshit  ?    Are  they 
particular  localities?  Are  they  outside  the  Triloki  or  inside? 


[     >35    ] 

Suka  replied  : — 

They  are  inside  the  Triloki  on  the  south  side  below  the  earth, 
over  the  waters,  where  Agnishvatta  and  other  Pitris  deeply  meditate 
on  the  welfare  of  their  respective  descendants. 

There,  Yama,  the  Death-god,  metes  out  just  punishment  to  the 
dead. 

There  are  twenty-one  Narakas  : — 

(i)  Tamisra  (2)  Andha  Tamisara  (3)  Rourava  (4)  Maha- 
rourava  (5)  Kumbhipaka  (6)  Kala  Sutra  (7)  Asipatravana  (8)  Sukara- 
Mukha  (9)  Andha  Kupa  (10)  Krimi  bhajana  (n)  Sandansa  (12) 
Tapta  Surmi  (13)  Vajra-Kantaka  Salmali  (14)  Vaitarani  (15)  Puyo- 
da  (16)  Pranarodha,  (17)  Vaisasana  (18)  Lalabhaksha  (19)  Sara- 
meyadana  (20)  Avichi  and  (21)  Ayahpana. 

There  are  seven  other  Narakas  : — 

(i)  Kshara  Kardama  (2)  Rakshogana  bhojana  (3)  Sulaprota 
(4)  Danda  Suka  (5)  Avata-nirodhana  (6)  Parya  vartana  and  (7) 
Suchi  mukha. 

( For  details  of  these  Narakas,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the 
original.  They  are  more  for  the  exoteric  than  for  the  esoteric  reader.) 

There  are  hundreds  and  thousands  of  such  Narakas  in  the 
realms  of  Yama.  The  vicious  enter  them  by  turns.  The  meritorious 
go  to  Svarga.  But  the  Karma  of  men  is  not  exhausted  in  Svarga  or 
Naraka.  For  that  which  remains  unexhausted,  they  enter  life  again 
by  re-birth. 

(The  mention  of  Pitris  and  Yama  connects  the  Narakas  with 
the  astral  plane.) 


THE  STORY  OF  AjAMILA 

SKANDHA  VI.  CHAP.  1-3. 
Parikshit  asked  how  men  could  avoid  Naraka. 

SUKA'  replied : — It  is  by  Prayaschitta  (expiation)  that  men 
can  avoid  Naraka.  But  it  is  not  Vedic  Prayaschitta,  not  fasting  by 
Chandrayana  and  other  Vratas.  These  Vedic  performances  cannot 
root  out  vicious  tendencies,  for  the  performer  is  seen  again  to  indulge 
in  vices.  They  do  not  purify  the  mind.  They  simply  counteract 
the  Karmic  effect  of  the  act  for  which  Prayaschitta  is  performed. 
The  real  Prayaschitta  is  devotion  to  Vishnu. 


t     '36    ] 

Ajamila  was  the  son  of  a  Brahmana,  He  was  dutiful,  virtuous, 
modest,  truthful,  and  regular  in  the  performance  of  Vedic  injunctions. 
One  day  in  obedience  to  his  father  he  went  into  the  forests  and  there 
collected  fruits,  flowers,  sacrificial  wood  and  Kusa — on  returning  he 
saw  a  Sudra  in  company  with  a  slave-girl.  He  tried  much  to  subdue 
his  passions  but  did  not  succeed.  He  spent  the  whole  of  his  patri 
mony  to  win  the  love  of  that  girl.  He  gave  up  his  own  wife  and 
kept  company  with  that  slave  girl.  He  had  by  her,  several  sons  of 
whom  the  youngest  was  Narayana.  Ajamila  lost  all  his  good  quali 
ties  in  low  company  and  he  forgot  his  daily  practices.  To  support 
the  woman  and  her  children,  he  had  recourse  to  all  sorts  of  vicious  and 
unlawful  acts.  Narayana  was  the  favorite  among  his  sons.  He  caressed 
him  always.  At  last  his  end  approached.  He  thought  even  then  of 
his  youngest  son  who  was  playing  at  a  distance.  Three  fierce-looking 
messengers  of  Yama  appeared,  with  ropes  in  hand.  Terrified  at  the 
sight  Ajamila  cried  out  "  Narayana,  Narayana,"  Instantly  the  Mes 
sengers  of  Vishnu  appeared.  At  the  time  when  the  servants  of  Yama 
were  drawing  out  the  Jiva  from  the  heart  of  Ajamila,  the  attendants  of 
Vishnu  stopped  them  with  a  strong  voice,  "  But  who  are  you  "  said 
they  "  to  interfere  with  the  just  sway  of  Yama."  The  bright  attendants 
of  Vishnu  only  smiled  "and  asked  :  "What  is  Dharma?  Does  your 
lord  Yama  hold  the  sceptre  of  punishment  against  all  who  perform 
Karma?  Is  there  no  distinction  made?" 

The  astral  messengers  replied  : — The  performance  of  Vedic 
injunctions  is  Dharma  and  their  disregard  is  Adharma.  This  Ajamila 
in  his  earlier  days  duly  respected  the  Vedas.  But  in  company  with 
the  slave-girl,  he  lost  his  Brahmanism,  disregarded  the  Vedas  and 
did  things  which  a  Brahmana  should  not  do.  He  justly  comes  for 
punishment  to  Yama." 

The  attendants  of  Vishnu  expressed  wonder  at  these  words. 
"  And  you  are  servants  of  him,  who  is  called  the  king  of  Dharma, 
and  you  do  not  know  that  there  is  something  above  the  Vedas  too.  This 
Ajamila  consciousjy  or  unconsciously  took  the  name  of  Narayana  and 
that  saved  him  from  your  clutches.  It  is  in  the  nature  of  fire  to 
consume  fuel  and  so  it  is  in  the  nature  of  Vishnu's  name  to  destroy 
all  sins.  If  one  unconsciously  takes  some  powerful  medicine,  does  it 
not  have  effect?  It  matters  not  whether  Ajamila  meant  his  youngest 
son  or  not  but  still  he  took  the  name  of  Narayana.  So  you  must  retire." 

Wonder-struck  the  servants  of  Yama  left  their  hold  over 
Ajamila.  They  went  away  and  complained  to  their  Master.  "  There 
must  be  one  law  and  one  dispenser  of  that  law.  Otherwise  some 


t    r3;    j 

will  be  punished  and  others  not.  Why  should  there  be  this  differ 
ence  ?  We  know  Thee  to  be  the  sole  dispenser  of  the  Law  for  the 
vicious.  But  just  now  the  attendants  of  Vishnu  came  and  wrested 
from  our  hands  a  transgressor  against  the  Vedas."  "  True  my  sons  f\ 
replied  Yama,  "  there  is  some  one  above  me  and  it  is  Vishnu.  His 
ways  are  mysterious. 

The  whole  Universe  is  in  Him.  His  attendants  always  save 
His  votaries.  Only  twelve  of  us  know  his  Dharma,  which  is  Bha- 
gavata  and  no  one  else.  These  twelve  are  Brahma,  Siva,  Sanat 
Kumara,  Narada,  Kapila,  Manu,  Prahlada,  Janaka,  Bhishma,  Bali, 
Suka  and  myself. 

Ajamila  heard  the  conversation  between  the  messengers  of 
Yama  and  Vishnu.  He  became  sorely  penitent  ( the  repentance  is 
strongly  described  ).  He  overcame  his  attachments,  left  the  house  and 
went  to  Haridvara.  There  he  meditated  on  Vishnu  with  concentrated 
mind.  The  former  attendants  of  Vishnu  appeared  once  more  and 
took  him  on  a  chariot  to  Vishnu  Loka. 


THE  PROGENY  OF  DAKSHA. 
SKANDA  VI,  CHAP.  4-6. 

[We  left  the  line  of  Utt^napada  with  Daksha,  the  son  of  the 
Prachetas  brothers.  We  were  told  of  his  work  of  creation  in  the 
Chakshasha  Manvantara.  But  we  have  to  take  up  the  line  just  now, 

to  introduce  the  story  of  Visva  Rupa.] 

• 

Daksha  first  carried  on  the  work  of  creation  by  Manasic  re 
production.  But  he  found  this  sort  of  reproduction  was  not  adequate 
for  the  enlargement  of  creation.  He  went  to  a  place  near  the  Vin- 
dhyas  and  prayed  hard  to  Vishnu.  Vishnu  became  pleased  with  his 
prayers  and  advised  him  to  marry  Asikni,  the  daughter  of  PrajApati 
Panchajana.  "  Take  her  for  your  wife  and  have-sexual  intercourse 
with  her.  By  sexual  reproduction,  you  shall  have  a  large  progeny 
and  that  form  of  reproduction  shall  prevail  among  your  sons  too". 

By  Asikni,  Daksha  had  at  first  10  thousand  sons  called 
Haryasva.  He  asked  them  to  take  up  the  work  of  creation.  They 
went  westwards  to  where  the  river  Sindhu  falls  into  the  ocean.  They 
began  to  make  Tapas  there  for  their  progeny.  Narada  appeared 
before  them  and  dissuaded  them  from  Pravritti  M^rga.  He  gave  them 
instructions  for  obtaining  Moksha  and  they  followed  the  path  of  its 
attainment. 
18 


[     13*    ] 

Daksha  heard  that  his  sons  were  killed  by  Narada  and  he  be 
came  very  sorry. 

He  again  had  one  thousand  sons  names  Subalasva.  They  also 
went  out  to  the*  very  same  place  and  prayed  to  Vishnu  for  progeny. 
Narada  again  dissuaded  them  and  they  never  returned  to  their  father. 

Daksha  became  restless  in  sorrow  and  thus  cursed  Narada  on 
meeting  him.  "  Thou  shalt  roam  all  over  Triloki  and  shalt  find  no 
resting  place." 

Daksha  had  then  60  daughters.  Ten  he  gave  to  Dharma,  13 
to  Kasyapa,  27  to  the  Moon,  two  each  to  Bhuta,  Angirasa,  and 
Krisasva  and  four  to  Tarksha. 

THE  PROGENY  OF  DHARMA. 

(1)  By  Bhdnu  : — Devar-shabha  or  the  chief  Devas. 

(2)  By  Lambd  : — Vidyota  (flash  of  lightning) 

The  clouds. 

(3)  By  KaTiud-.— Sankata 

Kikata  (the  elementals  presiding   over   earth-ca 
vities). 

(4)  By  Ydmi: — Svarga. 

Nandi. 

(5)  By  Visvd  : — The  Vi^vadevas  (Vedic-gods). 

(6)  By  Sddhyd  :— The  Sadhyas 

attainment  of  desires. 

(7)  By  Marutvati'. — Marutvat  and  Jayanta,   otherwise  called  Upen- 

.      dra. 

(8)  By  MuMrta  : — The  Muhurta  Devas  or  Devas  presiding  over  the 

moments. 

(9)  By  Sankalpd  : — Sankalpa  (Desire). 

(10)  By  Vasu  :— The  eight  Vasus  (Vedic-gods),  viz 

(a)  Drona  =  Abhimati 


Harsha  (Joy)     Soka  (Sorrow)  &c. 


[    139    1 


Saha  (strength)     Ayus  (age)     Purojava. 
(c)  Dhruva=Dharani 

Different  towns. 
(<?)  Arka  =  Vasana  (tendency) 


Tarsha  (desire)    &c. 
Agni  (Fire)  =  Dhara 


Skanda  Dravinaka  &c. 

(otherwise  known  as       (Gold,  wealth) 
Kartikeya,    the   son 
of  Siva  by  Krittika) 

Visakha  &c. 

(/)  Dosha  =  Sarvari  (night) 

Sisumara  (Gangetic  porpoise  the  symbol  of  Triloki). 
(<£")  Vastu  (Dwelling  place)  =  Angirasi 

Visvakarma  (The  cosmic  manufacturer) 
Chakshusha  Manu 

i      


The  Visvadevas     The  Sadhyas. 
(A)  Vibhavasu  =  Usha  (Dawn) 


Vyushta 
(Dawn) 

Rochisha 
(Bright,  shining) 

Atapa. 
(Sun  shine) 

Panchayama 

(i  Y£ma=  y±  part  of  day 
=  3  hours.  There  are 
8  yamas  in  day  and  night 
Pancha  yama=5  yamas 
when  men  do  their  work). 


[The  8  Vasus  are  sub-manifestations  of  Brahm&  or  the  creative 
Purusha.  They  are  energies  that  help  creation  in  various  ways. 
They  find  no  place  in  the  Hindu  worship  now.  They  are  invoked 
only  in  marriage  ceremonies  when  their  appropriateness  is  evident. 
The  Vedic  gods  can  be  analysed  thus  : — 

Purusha 

i    

~T  I  I  •        „ 

Creative  or  Brahma     Preservative  or  Vishnu     Destructive  or  Siva 
8  Vasus.  12  Adityas.  II  Rudras. 

These  are  31  gods.  Then  there  are  Prajapati  and  Indra, 
making  the  number  33.  The  Brihat  Aranyaka  says,  that  the  33 
Krores  of  Devas  are  only  sub  rays  of  these  primary  33], 

THE  PROGENY  OF  BHUTA. 

By  Sartipd : — Millions  of  Rudras  and  the  chief  Pretas, 
THE  PROGENY  OF  ANGIRASA. 

(1)  By  Svadhd  :— Pitris  (comet). 

(2)  By  Sati\— The  Veda  known  as  Atharva-Angirasa. 

THE  PROGENY  OF  KRISASVA, 

(1)  By  Arckis: — Dhuma  ketu  (comet), 

(2)  By  Dhishand  : — Vedasiras,  Devala,  Vayuna  and  Manu. 

THE  PROGENY  OF  TARKSHA. 

(1)  By  Vinatd: — Garuda  (the  vehicle  of   Vishnu)   and  Aruna  (the 

charioteer  of  the  Sun.) 

(2)  By  Patangi-.— Birds. 

(3)  By  Ydmini'. — Moths  and  locusts. 

(4)  By  Kadru  : — the  serpents. 

The  Moon  ;^The  Moon  married  the  27  stars.  But  he  is  con 
sumptive  (i.  e.  he  is  consumed?).  Therefore  he  has  no  progeny. 
(What  is  meant  by  the  consumption  of  a  planetary  body  like  the 
Moon?. ) 

THE  PROGENY  OF  KASYAPA 

(1)  By  Timi :-- Aquatic  animals. 

(2)  By  Saramd  : — Wild  beasts,  such  as  Tigers. 

(3)  By  Surabhi :— Cloven-footed  animals. 
(4) 'By  Tdmrd;-— The  Vultures. 


(5^  By  Muni\ — The  Apsarasas. 

(6)  By  Krodhavasa  : — Serpents  such  as  Danda  Sitka  and  others. 

(7)  By  lid  :— Plants. 

(8)  By  Suramd  : — The  Rakshasas. 

(9)  By  Aristhd  :— The  Gandharvas. 

(10)  By  Kdsthd  : — Beasts  other  than  cloven-hoofed. 

(u)  By  Danu: — 61  Danavas — the  chief  of  them  being  Dvf- 
Murdha,  Sambara,  Aristha,  Hayagriva,  Vibhavasu,  Ayo- 
mukha,  Sanku  Siras,  Svarbhanu,  Kapila,  Putoma,  Vrisha- 
Prava,  Eka-Chakra,  Anutapana,  Dhumra-Kesa,  Virupak- 
sha,  Vipra-chitti  and  Durjaya. 

Namuchi  married  Suprabha,  the  daughter  of  Svar-bhanu. 

King  Yayati  married  Sarmistha,  the  daughter  of  Vrisha-parvan. 

Vaisvunara  was  another  son  of  Danu.  He  had  four  daughters. 
Upadanavi,  Haya-siras,  Puloma  and  Kalaka.  Puloma  and  Kalaka 
had  60,000  valiant  sons  named  Poulama  and  Kalakeya.  Arjuna  alone 
killed  all  of  them  in  Svarga.  Bipra  Chitti  had  by  his  wife  Sinhika 
101  sons.  The  eldest  of  them  is  Rahu.  The  other  hundred  are 
Ketus.  They  all  became  planets. 

By  Aditi: — The  12  Adityas — Vivasvat,  Aryaman,  Pushan, 
Tvastri,  Savitri,  Bhaga,  Dhatri,  Vidhatri,  Varuna,  Mitra,  Indra,  and 
Vishnu.  Vivasvat  had  by  his  wife  Sanjna  two  sons  Sraddhadeva 
Manu  and  Yama  ( the  death  god  ),  and  one  daughter  the  river  Yamu 
na.  This  Sanjna  became  also  a  mare  and  produced  the  twin  Asvini- 
Kumaras.  He  had  also  by  Chaya  two  sons  Sanaischara  ( Saturn  ) 
and  Savarni  Manu  and  one  daughter  Tapati.  Tapati  had  for  her 
husband  Sanvarana.  Matrika  is  the  wife  of  Aryaman.  He  had  by  her 
sons  called  Charshani.  ( For  Charshani  vide  Suprd.}  The  human 
race  has  been  moulded  after  them  by  Brahma.  Pushan  is  childless, 
and  broken  toothed.  He  partakes  only  of  powdered  food.  This  has 
been  related  in  the  story  of  Daksha.  Rachana  is  the  wife  of  Tvastri 
She  is  the  daughter  of  a  Daitya.  Prajapati  Tvastri  had  by  her  one 
son  Visvarupa.  Though  connected  on  the  mother's  side  with  the 
Asuras,  Visvarupa  was  made  a  Purohita  by  the  Devas,  when  Brihas- 
pati  (Jupiter)  their  former  preceptor  left  them» 

SKANDHA  VI.  CHAP.  18. 

Savitri  had,  by  his  wife  Prism,  three  daughters,  Savitri  (Ga- 
yatrt),  Vyahriti  (Bhur,  Bhuvar,  Svar,  Mahar  &c.)  and  the  Trayi;  (Rik, 
Yajur,  and  Saman).  His  sons  were  Agnihotra,  Pasu  Yaga,  Soma 
Yaga,  Chaturmasya  Yaga  and  the  5  Maha  Yajnas. 


Bhaga  had,  by  his  wife  Siddhi,  three  sons  Mahiman,  Vibhu 
and  Prabhu  and  one  daughter  Asis. 

DhAtyi  had,  by  his  wife  Kuhu,  one  son  Sayam  (evening),  by 
his  wife  Sinivalt,  Darsa  (the  new  moon  day),  by  his  wife  Raka,  Pratar 
(morn)  and  by  his  wife  Anumati,  Purnamasa  (full  Moonday). 

Vidhdtri  had,  by  his  wife  Kriya,  five  Agnis  called  Purishya. 
Charshani  is  the  wife  of  Varuna.  Bhrigu  incarnated  as  his  son.  It 
is  said  that  the  great  Rishi  Valmika  is  also  Varuna's  son.  Mitra  and 
Varuna  once  felt  love  for  Urvasi.  Agastya  and  Vasishtha  were  then 
born  of  that  Apsaras. 

Mitra  had,  by  Revati,  Utsarga,  Arishta  and  Pippala. 
Indm  had,  by  Paulomi,  Jayanta,  Rishabha  and  Midhusha. 

Vishnu  ,as  son  of  Aditi,  is  known  as  the  Vamana  incarnation. 
He  had  by  his  wife  Kirti  one  son  Brihat  Sloka  (great  fame).  His 
sons  were  Sambhoga  and  others. 

(13)  By  Diti : — Hiranyakasipu,  Hiranyaksha  and  the  Maruts. 


THE  STORY  OF  VISVARUPA. 
SKANDHA  VI.  CHAP.  7-8. 

Indra  surrounded  by  the  Devas,  was  seated  on  the  throne  of 
Triloki.  He  felt  the  pride  of  his  position.  Brihaspati,  the  preceptor 
and  guide  of  all  Devas  came,  but  Indra  did  not  rise  up  to  receive  him. 
Thus  insulted,  Brihaspati  left  the  place  at  once  and  abandoned  the 
Devas.  The  Asuras  took  this  opportunity  to  put  down  the  Devas 
and  carried  on  a  severe  struggle  under  the  lead  of  Sukra.  The  Devas 
were  worsted  in  the  fight  and  they  went  to  Brahma  for  redress. 
Brahma  advised  them  to  accept  the  guidance  of  Visvarupa,  son  of 
TvastrL  They  gladly  went  to  Visvarupa  and  he  consented  to  be  their 
preceptor.  Visvarupa  initiated  Indra  into  the  mysteries  of  Narayana 
Kabacha  (an  invocation  to  Vishnu  which  preserves  one  against 
all  danger.  The  invocation  must  be  read  in  the  original,  so  no  at 
tempt  has  been  made  to  render  it  into  English).  With  the  help  of 
that  Kabacha,  Indra  easily  conquered  the  Asuras  and  firmly  establish 
ed  once  more  the  Kingdom  of  Triloki. 

Visvarupa  had  three  mouths.  With  one  he  used  to  drink 
Soma,  with  another  he  used  to  drink  wine  and  with  the  third  he  used 
to  take  his  food.  While  performing  Yajfia,  he  openly  gave  oblations 


t     143    ] 

to  the  Devas,  but  secretly  reserved  some  for  his  mother's  relations 
the  Asuras.  Indra  once  found  out  this  treachery.  He  became  angry 
and  cut  off  the  three  heads  of  Visvarupa.  The  Soma  drinking  head 
became  Chataka  (the  Swallow,  supposed  to  live  only  on  'fain  drops). 
The  liquor  imbibing  head  became  Chataka  (the  Sparrow).  The  food 
eating  head  became  Tittiri  (the  francoline  partridge).  The  sin  of 
killing  a  Brahmana  attached  to  Indra.  He  divided  it  into  equal  parts 
and  distributed  them  between  earth,  water,  trees  and  woman.  Earth 
accepted  her  part  on  receiving  the  boon  that  her  cavities  would  be 
filled  up  by  nature.  But  the  sin  manifests  itself  in  the  barren  lands. 
The  trees  took  their  part  in  return  for  the  boon  that  the  wounds  on 
their  cuticle  should  naturally  heal  up  of  themselves.  But  the  sin 
shows  itself  in  the  exudation.  Water  was  persuaded  by  the  boon  that 
it  could  mix  with  any  other  substance.  But  the  sin  shows  itself  in 
bubbles  and  foam. 

THE  STORY  OF  VRITRU. 
SKANDHA  VI.  CHAP.  9-13. 

Tvastri  became  enraged  at  the  death  of  his  son.  He  gave 
offerings  to  Agni  for  the  destruction  of  Indra.  A  huge  and  fearful 
A  sura  rose  out  of  the  sacrificial  fire.  The  Devas  threw  their  weapons 
at  him,  but  he  swallowed  them  all.  Wonderstruck  they  prayed  to 
Vishnu  for  help.  Vishnu  asked  them  to  go  to  Dadhichi  and  pray 
for  his  body  and  assured  them  that  the  weapon  made  of  his  bones  by 
Visvakarma  would  cut  off  the  head  of  Vritra.  The  Devas  went  to 
Dadhichi  and  got  his  body.  Visvakarma  made  the  thunderbolt  instru 
ment  (Vajra)  out  of  his  bones.  Indra  went  with  this  instrument  at 
the  head  of  the  Devas  to  fight  with  Vritra.  The  fight  took  place  at 
the  commencement  of  Treta  Yuga  in  the  first  Yuga  cycle  of  Vaivas- 
vata  Manvantara,  on  the  banks  of  the  Narmadci.  After  a  severe  fight, 
the  chances  shewed  themselves  favourable  to  the  Devas.  The  Daitya 
and  Danava  chiefs  began  to  shew  their  backs  to  the  enemies.  "  What 
is  this  my  companions  ?  "  exclaimed  Vritra,  "  Is  not  death  inevitable  ? 
And  what  death  is  more  enviable  than  that  with  honor  and  glory? 
There  are  two  modes  of  death,  rare  though  they  be,  that  are  given 
the  palm  in  all  religious  books — one  is  by  control  of  the  Pranas  by 
means  of  Yoga  and  the  other  is  by  facing  enemies  foremost  of  all, 
in  the  battle  field. " 


[     144    1 

But  the  Asuras  heeded  him  not.  The  Devas  ran  after  them. 
"  O  ye  cowards  ?  "  exclaimed  Vritra,  "  What  glory  do  you  gain  by 
running  after  those  that  fly  away.  Come  and  approach  those  that 
are  in  the  field  "  So  saying  he  attacked  Indra.  Indra  in  anger  threw 
a  large  club  at  him*  Vritra  easily  took  it  up  with  his  left  hand.  He 
struck  it  with  force  on  the  head  of  Airavata,  the  elephant  of  Indra. 
The  elephant  receded  28  cubits  and  vomitted  blood.  The  magnani 
mous  Vritra  seeing  the  distress  of  the  animal  did  not  strike  it  again. 
Indra  softly  touched  the  injured  animal,  trying  to  give  it  relief 
and  he  took  respite  fpr  some  time.  Vritra  remembered  the  wicked 
deeds  of  Indra  and  addressed  him  thus  "  O  thou  assassinator  of  a 
Brahmana !  Thou  didst  kill  thy  own  Guru,  my  brother  Visvarupa. 
Thou  didst  raise  faith  and  trust  in  my  brother's  mind  and  still  thou 
didst  kill  that  innocent,  wise  Brahmana,  your  own  Guru,  having  been 
initiated  by  him  in  Yajna.  Your  karma  makes  you  worse  than  even 
Rakshasas.  It  is  meet  that  I  shall  kill  thee  with  this  Trident  and  make 
over  thy  body  as  food  for  vultures.  And  if  thou,  O  Indra,  cuttest 
off  my  head,  I  shall  be  free  from  the  bond  of  Karma,  by  offering  my 
body  as  Bali  ( sacrificial  food  )  to  the  animals.  Here  I  stand  before 
thee.  Why  dost  thou  not  strike  with  the  Vajra.  Thou  hast  been 
favoured  by  Vishnu  and  by  Dadhichi.  Victory  and  all  the  virtues  al 
ways  follow  Vishnu.  I  will  do  as  advised  by  my  deity  Sankarshana  and 
attain  after  death  the  state  of  Yogins  by  sacrificing  this  body.  O 
Bhagavat,  may  I  ever  and  ever  remain  in  the  Service  of  thy  votaries. 
This  I  deem  a  thousand  times  more  desirable  than  the  attainment  of 
the  Supreme  Abode,  or  of  Siddhis  or  of  Mukti." 

Vritra  then  took  the  trident  in  hand  and  attacked  Indra — 
Indra  then  had  recourse  to  Vajra  and  he  easily  cut  off  both  the 
trident  and  one  hand  of  Vritra.  Vritra  took  a  club  in  the  other  hand 
and  struck  both  Indra  and  the  elephant.  The  Vajra  slipped  out  of 
the  hands  of  Indra  and  he  felt  ashamed  to  pick  it  up  in  the  presence 
of  his  enemy.  "  Pick  it  up,  O  King  of  Devas,  and  kill  your  enemy. 
This  is  no  time  for  shame  or  sorrow.  It  is  not  you  or  I  that  are  the 
real  actors.  Bhagavan  is  guiding  us  all.  He  guides  the  whole  Uni 
verse.  Look  at  me.  I  have  been  worsted,  hand  and  weapon  gone, 
still  I  am  trying  my  best  to  kill  you.  This  our  fight  is  but  like  the 
game  of  dice  in  which  the  life  of  one  of  us  is  the  stake." 

Indra  could  not  help  wondering  at  the  wisdom  and  magna 
nimity  of  Vritra.  He  exclained  "  O  king  of  Danavas  !  thou  hast  got 
over  the  Maya  of  Vishnu.  The  Asura  nature  has  altogether  left  thee 
and  thou  art  fixed  in  devotion  to  Vishnu.  Verily  thou  art  a  Mahatma 
now." 


They  again  engaged  in  fight.  Thfs  time  Indra  cut  off  both  the 
club  and  the  other  hand  with  the  help  of  Vajra — Vritra  then  opened 
his  mouth  and  swallowed  Indra.  There  was  loud  wailing  and  lamen 
tation  all  round.  But  Indra  broke  through  the  interior  of  Vritra 
with  the  help  of  Vajra,  and  he  then  forcibly  applied' the  bolt  to  cut 
off  the  head  of  Vritra.  The  bolt  though  actively  employed  could 
only  sever  the  head  of  the  Asura  King  in  360  days.  The  flame  of  self 
from  Vritra's  body  merged  in  Shankarshana  in  the  presence  of  the 
Devas. 

The  sin  of  killing  a  Brahmana  a  second  time  followed  Indra 
in  the  form  of  a  hideous  old  outcaste  woman.  He  fled  away  into 
the  Mcinasa  lake  and  entered  the  filament  of  a  lotus  stalk.  He  re 
mained  there  concealed  for  one  thousand  years.  King  Nahusha 
reigned  in  Svarga  during  that  time.  But  as  he  became  maddened  in 
pride,  Sachi  the  wife  of  Indra  made  him  a  serpent.  The  Br^hmanas 
then  called  back  Indra  to  Svarga,  and  he  reigned  there  agafn. 

THE  STORY  OF  CHITRAKETU. 
SKANDHA  VI.  CHAP.  14-17. 

Chitraketu,  the  King  of  Surasena  had  ten  millions  of  wives,  but 
he  had  no  son.  Rishi  Angiras  once  came  to  him.  The  King  express 
ed  regret  for  his  childlessness.  Angiras  performed  a  Yajna  in  honor 
of  Tvastri,  and  gave  the  sacrificial  remnants  to  the  eldest  wife.  "  You 
shall  have  a  son,  O  King  !  "  said  Angiras.  "  But  he  will  give  you  joy 
and  sorrow  both/'  In  time  the  eldest  Queen  bore  a  son.  Her  co-wives 
grew  jealous  and  poisoned  the  child.  Chitraketu  was  deeply  moved, 
and  he  wept  profusely.  At  the  time  Narada  and  Angiras  came  to 
him.  They  taught  him  the  worship  of  Shankarshana.  Chitraketu 
became  fixed  in  the  meditation  of  this  second  manifestation  of  Chatur- 
vyuha,  and  this  made  him  very  powerful.  He  became  the  King  of 
the  Vidyadharas. 

Once  Chitraketu  was  roaming  over  the  firmament  on  the 
chariot  given  him  by  Vishnu,  when  he  saw  Siva  surrounded  by  his 
attendants  openly  embracing  His  consort  Bhavani.  Chitraketu  made 
some  taunting  remarks  in  the  hearing  of  all.  Siva  simply  smiled,  and 
so  did  His  attendants.  But  Bhavani  cursed  Chitraketu  with  an 
Asura  birth.  Chitaketu  accepted  the  curse  with  an  unruffled  mind, 
saying  it  was  the  way  of  all  beings  to  meet  with  things  pleasant  and 
unpleasant  in  this  perishable  world,  and  he  only  asked  Bhavani  to 
19 


pardon  him,  if  he  had  offended  her.  "  Look  how  bold  the  followers  of 
Vishnu  are  !"  exclaimed  Siva,  "  They  fear  no  body  in  this  world.  I 
am  also  a  follower  of  Vishnu.  So  I  took  no  offence  at  the  words  of  the 

King  Vidyadhara." 

Chitraketu  became  Vritra  by  this  curse,  but  his  magnanimity 

and  devotion  to  Vishnu  were  not  lost 


[    147    ] 
THE  DAITYAS. 

SKANDHA  VI.  CHAP.  18. 
Ji 


^H 
»>— < 

hH 


02 

<1 

M 


.-§ 


W 


<C3 


c8 


Ci 


If 

"I 
-g  a 

<2,3 


ii 


Anuhrada 
=  Surya. 

I 


<e3 


d 


oS 

OQ 


[     I48     ] 

THE  MARUTS. 

SKANDHA  VI.  CHAP.  18-19. 

Diti  was  very  much  grieved  by  the  loss  of  her  sons,  caused  by 
Indra.  She  ardently  wished  to  have  a  son  who  could  kill  Indra. 
With  this  object,  she  served  Kasyapa  with  all  her  heart  and  pleased 
him  much.  Kasyapa  offered  to  give  her  any  boon,  and  she  prayed 
for  an  immortal  son  that  would  kill  Indra.  Sorely  perplexed  in 
mind,  the  Rishi  thought  within  himself  of  a  device.  He  said  "  I 
grant  you  the  boon,  but  you  shall  have  to  observe  Punsavana  Vrata 
for  one  full  year."  This  is  a  Vaisnava  Vrata,  the  performance  of 
which  requires  absolute  purity  of  body  and  mind.  Kasyapa  related 
the  details  to  his  wife,  (for  which  refer  to  the  original).  His  object  was 
to  give  an  immortal  son  to  Diti  and  to  purify  her  mind  by  this  Vrata, 
so  that  she  might  cast  off  all  enmity  against  Indra.  He  also 
thought  it  possible  that  his  wife  might  not  observe  the  strict  rules 
for  such  a  long  time.  Diti  however  accepted  the  conditions,  and  she 
bore  a  son.  Indra  became  very  much  frightened,  and  he  closely 
watched  his  step  mother  to  discover  a  breach  of  the  rules.  He 
followed  and  served  Diti  always  and  tried  to  please  her.  One  day 
Diti  became  very  much  tired,  and  she  fell  asleep  after  eating  before 
she  could  wash  her  hands,  mouth  and  feet.  Finding  this  opportunity, 
Indra,  by  his  Yogic  powers  entered  the  womb  and  split  the  child  into 
7  parts.  The  Maruts  wept  and  requested  their  half-brother  not  to 
kill  them.  Indra  consoled  them  saying  that  they  need  have  no  fear  from 
.him,  and  he  would  make  them  his  companions.  He  then  split  each  of 
the  seven  into  as  many  parts  again.  By  the  favour  of  Vishnu,  the  Maruts 
were  not  destroyed,  but  came  out  all  alive  from  the  womb  of  Diti. 
It  was  a  little  short  of  one  year  still.  Indra  made  them  drinkers  of  Soma 
and  his  chief  companions.  Diti  woke  up,  and  she  was  astonished  to 
find  49  sons  by  her.  "Tell  me  Indra  if  thou  knowest"  said  she,  "how 
is  it  I  have  these  49  sons  instead  of  one.  Pray  do  not  conceal  any 
thing."  Indra  gave  the  whole  story  to  Diti  and  expressed  great 
repentance.  He  assured  Diti  that  the  Maruts  would  be  his  best 
companions.  Diti's  mind  had  been  purified,  and  she  allowed  her  sons 
to  become  Devas.  Thus  the  Maruts,  though  born  as  Daityas,  became 
immortal  Devas.  (Marut  Vayu  air.  Vayu  correspends  to  the  sense 
of  touch  and  to  vital  energy). 


[     149     1 

THE  MYSTERIES  ABOUT  THE  SURAS  AND  THE  ASURAS, 
SKANDIIA  VII.  CHAP.  7-1. 

Raja  Parikshit  said: — "To  Bhagavan,  all  beings  are  equal,  and 
He  is  the  clear  friend  of  all.  Why  did  he  kill  the  Daityas  for  the 
sake  of  Indra,  as  if  He  was  not  above  partiality.  Supreme  Bliss 
Himself,  He  had  nothing  to  gain  from  the  Devas.  Being  above  the 
control  of  the  Gunas,  He  had  no  fear  from  the  Asuras,  and  he  did 
not  bear  any  unfriendly  feeling  for  them.  We  are  in  doubt  as  to  the 
virtues  of  Narayana.  Please  clear  up  the  doubt." 

Suka  rt  plied : — Void  of  Gunas,  without  beginning,  without  mani 
festation,  beyond  Prakriti,  Bhagavan  pervades  and  permeates  the  Gunas 
of  His  Maya.  Hence  His  seeming  relations.  Satva,  Rajas  and  Tamas 
are  not  His  Gunas,  but  they  are  the  Gunas  of  Prakriti.  Those  attributes 
or  tendencies  of  Prakriti  do  not  all  prevail  at  one  and  the  same  period  ; 
but  they  have  got  their  periods  of  increase  and  decrease.  (That  is,  since 
the  beginning  of  the  universe,  the  general  tendency  which  guides  all 
beings  is  different  at  different  times.  Thus  at  the  very  outset  there 
was  inertia,  Tamas.  This  inertia  was  got  over  by  Rajas,  which  predo 
minated  in  the  Prajapatis,  and  the  life-forms  appeared  on  the  globes. 
There  was  Tamas  again  in  the  mineral  kingdom,  which  had  to  be  con 
quered  by  Rajasic  activity.  And  Rajas  was  in  full  swing  till  human 
ity  reached  a  certain  stage.  Then  Satva  manifested  itself  for  the 
evolution  of  men.  The  spiritual  regeneration  will  be  brought  about  by 
the  ever  increasing  prevalence  of  Satva). 

When  Satva  prevails,  Bhagavan  favours  the  Devas  and  Rishis. 
When  Rajas  prevails,  He  favours  the  Asuras.  When  Tamas  prevails, 
He  favors  the  Yakshas  and  Rakshasas.  He  follows  in  fact  the 
periodic  tendency. 

It  is  Kala  (Periodicity)  that  now  brings  up  Satva.  So  the  Lord 
seems  to  favour  the  hosts  of  Devas,  in  whom  Satva  prevails.  He  also 
seems  to  put  down  the  hosts  of  Asuras,  who  are  opposed  to  the 
Devas — being  full  of  Rajas  and  Tamas, 

It  is  also  to  favour  the  Asuras  that  He  kills  them.  For  we 
have  seen  above,  how  the  gate-keepers  of  Vishnu  became  Hiranya- 
ksha  and  Hiranyakasipti  by  the  curse  of  the  Kumara  brothers. 
They  had  to  become  Asuras  for  three  successive  births.  In  the 
second  birth,  they  became  Ravana  and  Kumbhakarna,  when  they 
were  killed  by  Rama.  In  their  last  birth,  they  became  Shishupala  and 
Danta-vakra,  when  they  were  killed  by  Sri  Krishna.  Then  they  be 
came  finally  liberated  and  restored  to  their  place  in  Vaikuntha. 


[    150    ] 

(The  Spiritual  ascent  commenced  finally  on  the  appearance  of  Sri 
Krishna.  It  was  to  prevail  for  the  remaining  life  period  of  the  uni 
verse.  The  Asuras  had  done  their  work  by  this  time,  and  therefore 
they  finally  returned  to  Vaikuntha). 

[THOUGHTS   ON    THE  ABOVE.] 

The  Daityas  and  the  Danavas  are  both  called  Asuras.  But  there 
is  a  radical  difference  between  the  two  classes. 

The  Daityas  are  opposed  to  the  A-dityas.  The  root  verb  d& 
means  to  cut  to  pieces,  to  separate.  Diti  is  that  which  separates. 
Aditi  is  that  which  does  not  separate.  Jivatm^  is  the  same  in  all 
beings.  One  life  principle  animates  all  the  forms  of  creation. 
The  idea  of  separateness  did  not  exist  from  before.  The  elementals 
that  began  life  in  this  Kalpa  from  the  spiritual  plane,  have  hardly  any 
idea  of  separate  existence.  The  Devas  and  Pitris  are  described  as 
classes  (ganas),  and  not  as  individuals.  In  the  Mineral  Kingdom, 
again,  there  is  no  individual  existence.  Individuality  has  to  be 
worked  out,  and  the  sons  of  Diti  bring  about  this  great  work  in  the 
evolution  of  life  forms. 

When  we  have  the  sense  of  separate  existence  strong  in  us, 
we  become  capable  of  further  evolution.  By  our  individual  expe 
riences,  we  know  what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong,  what  is  pleasurable 
and  what  is  painful.  Things  that  give  joy  give  pain  as  well.  It  is 
the  measure  of  pleasure  or  pain  that  teaches  us  what  to  covet  and 
what  to  shun.  Then  we  have  the  fact  that  by  our  very  existence  we 
have  duties  to  perform.  The  teachings  of  other  ages  that  are  revealed 
to  the  Rishis  and  proclaimed  by  them,  give  us  a  better  idea  of 
things,  and  they  tell  us  more  than  we  can  know  of  by  our  own 
experience.  The  Asuras  lead  us  on  and  on,  till  we  reach  the  highest 
point  that,  with  a  sense  of  individuality,  we  may  attain. 

When  the  individual  soul  gathers  all  experience  that  may  be 
acquired  by  the  idea  of  separateness,  it  traces  back  its  way  to  that 
spiritual  home  whence  it  came.  In  the  return  journey,  it  is  helped 
by  the  Adityas,  who  gradually  efface  the  idea  of  separateness,  by  an 
ever  increasing  infusion  of  Satva  :  Vishnu  himself  became  Aditya  and 
taught  men  the  unity  of  all  souls. 

The  Adityas  who  guided  the  early  elementals  had  to  be  crushed, 
so  that  separateness  might  grow.  Pushan  and  Bhaga  were  therefore 
overpowered  by  the  attendants  of  Siva  at  the  sacrifice  of  Daksha. 

The  Adityas  who  guide  humanity  in  their  return  to  spirituality 
are  themselves  high  spiritual  energies,  the  highest  Devas  of  our  Triloki. 


Our  evolution  Is  thus  two-fold — individual  and  non-individual. 
When  we  work  as  individuals,  we  are  under  the  influence  of  Daityas. 
When  we  want  to  cast  off  separateness,  we  are  under  the  influence 
of  the  Adityas. 

In  both  cases,  however,  it  is  the  bliss  element  in  us  that  is 
worked  on  by  the  Daityas  and  A-dityas.  This  bliss  element  is  our 
eternal  heritage  from  Ishvara,  and  it  is  this  element  that  saves  us  in 
our  contact  with  manifold  matter.  The  measure  of  bliss,  (ananda), 
enables  us  to  judge  what  matter  to  accept  and  what  not. 

Individuality  developed  under  Hiranyakasipu,  and  all  sorts  of 
blissful  experiences  were  acquired.  The  sons  of  Hiranyakasipu  were 
all  called  Bliss  (Hrada),  but  the  perfection  of  Bliss  (Pra-f- Hrada)  was 
in  Prahlada.  He  found  out  that  the  worldly  joys  were  unreal,  and  that 
the  real  joy  could  be  had  only  from  Him  above,  who  was  joy  itself. 

But  Prahlada  did  not  realise  that  there  was  one  life  underlying 
all  beings,  and  that  all  beings  were  essentially  one  and  the  sarnie.  He 
was  separate  in  his  devotion,  though  unselfish  to  the  extreme.  He 
knew  that  men  had  separate  existences,  and  while  he  attained  per 
fection,  others  did  not.  It  was  therefore  his  duty  to  raise  others  to  his 
level.  With  all  unselfishness  and  devotion,  Prahlada  was  an  Asura, 
because  he  worked  from  the  stand  point  of  individual  life.  The 
foster-father  of  Sri  Krishna  was  Nanda,  the  word  meaning  also  bliss. 
But  the  bliss  of  Gopas  and  Gopis  consisted  in  forgetting  self  alto 
gether.  The  bliss  that  was  then  evolved  will  draw  humanity  to  the 
highest  level  of  spirituality  in  our  Kalpa. 

The  reign  of  the  Daityas  may  be  divided  into  three  periods  : — 

I. — The  period  of  Hiranyaksha  and  Hiranyakasipu. 
II. — The  period  of  Ravana  and  Kumbhakarna. 
III. — The  period  of  Shishupala  and  Dantavakra. 
I.     Hiranyaksha  and  Hiranyakasipu. 

Jaya  and  Vijaya  are  the  outer  aspects  of  Vishnu.  Vishnu 
preserves  the  universe,  and  He  preserves  all  beings.  Existence,  con 
sciousness  and  bliss  all  proceed  from  Vishnu,  and  it  is  these  essential 
attributes  that  bring  about  the  involution  and  evolution  of  all  beings. 
In  minerals,  there  is  existence,  but  it  is  Tamasic.  Consciousness  and 
bliss  are  completely  eclipsed  by  the  Tamasic  opacity  of  gross  matter. 

In  the  vegetables,  there  is  existence  and  something  more — the 
bare  dawning  of  perceptive  consciousness.  There  is  predominating 
Tamas  in  the  vegetables  also.  But  Rajas  also  tries  to  manifest  itself. 

In  the  animals,  Rajas  asserts  itself  by  increasing  activity,  and 
by  the  action  of  the  senses.  The  animals  exist,  they  are  conscious  and 
they  have  blissful  experiences. 


[      'S3      3 

In  men,  Rajas  plays  the  most  important  part.  Through  the 
ever  increasing  activities  of  mind  and  the  development  of  conscious 
ness,  man  runs  after  all  sorts  of  experience,  pleasurable  and  painful, 
till  at  last  the  idea  of  lasting ^and  real  bliss  settles  down  in  him,  and 
he  knows  more  of  bliss  than  any  other  being  in  the  universe.  The 
future  evolution  of  man  lies  in  the  permanance  of  spiritual  bliss, 
which  is  purely  Satvic  in  its  character. 

Vishnu  preserves  all  beings  in  their  Tamasic,  Rajasic  and 
Satvic  stages.  For  preservation  means  the  maintenance  as  well  as  the 
improvement  of  beings.  Therefore  preservation  is  Satvic,  and  Vishnu 
is  the  Preserver.  We  live  and  move  onwards  in  all  stages  of  our 
being.  But  in  Rajasic  and  Tamasic  stages,  it  is  the  attendants  of 
Vishnu,  the  door-keepers,  that  preserve  us,  and  the  Daityas  are  the 
lower  manifestations  of  Jaya  and  Vijaya.  One  is  Tamasic  and  the 
other  Rajasic. 

Hiranyaksha  is  Tamasic.  He  represents  the  original  inertia 
of  matter,  its  primary  resistance  to  the  onward  process  of  evolution. 
There  was  existence  after  Pralayic  sleep  But  it  was  homogeneous 
existence,  with  little  or  no  phenomenal  change.  Varaha  got  over  this 
homogeneal  tenacity  by  the  killing  of  Hiranyaksha,  and  he  set  going 
the  process  of  planetary  and  individual  life. 

Hiranyakasipu  came  next.  He  was  the  favoured  son  of 
Brahma.  He  helped  the  evolution  of  individual  life.  Minerals  be 
came  vegetables.  Vegetables  became  animals,  and  animals  became 
men.  The  intellectual  power  of  men  rapidly  increased,  and  there 
was  material  and  moral  progress.  The  limit  of  moral  progress  was 
reached  by  Prahlada.  But  the  ideal  of  Prahlada  was  based  upon  the 
conception  of  differences  and  of  individualities.  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  Varna  and  Ashrama  Dharma,  or  the  separate  duties  of  life  for 
separate  classes  of  men,  is  dealt  with  in  the  discourses  with  Prahlada. 

But  though  Prahlada  was  a  son  of  Hiranyakasipu,  he  was  an 
exception  to  the  general  run  of  material  evolution  which  was  fostered 
by  Hiranyakasipu.  Hiranyakasipu  hated  the  development  of  Satvic 
virtues,  he  hated  Hari,  the  embodiment  of  Satva.  Nrisinha  killed  the 
great  Daitya,  and  Satva  made  its  appearance  in  men. 

Hiranya  means  gold. 

Hiranyaksha  is  gold-eyed. 

Hiranyakasipu  is  gold  bedded. 
II.     Ravana  and  Kumbhakarna. 

Hiranyakasipu  represented  the  gradual  development  of  mate 
rial  and  intellectual  evolution,  till  the  highest  point  was  reached. 


I     'S3     ] 

Then  there  was  a  period  of  intellectual  abuse.  The  intellect  of  man 
tried  to  get  a  supremacy  over  the  established  order  of  things  :  Ravana 
sought  to  make  Nature  subservient  to  his  own  purposes,  The  uni 
verse  existed  for  man,  and  not  man  for  nature.  This  wajythe  perverse 
idea  that  guided  the  people  of  the  Atlantean  ContirTent.  The  intel 
lectual  giants,  maddened  by  this  material  grandeur,  did  not  look 
for  any  world  beyond  the  one  they  lived  in.  They  cared  not  for 
Svarga,  nor  for  the  sacrifices  that  led  to  Svarga.  The  flow  of  evolu- 
tion>  the  breath  of  fshvara  seemed  to  stand  still  for  a  time  as  it  were, 
The  human  will  tried  to  override  the  divine  will.  There  was  chaos 
and  disorder,  which  tended  to  cause  dissolution  in  the  universe. 
Hence  Ravana  was  a  Rakshasa.  The  Tamasic  Kumbhakarna  with 
his  six-monthly  sleep  was  the  back  ground  of  Ravana. 

The  spiritual  forces  that  were  called  forth  to  put  an  end  to  this 
state  of  things  were  equal  to  the  occasion,  The  great  Atlantean  Con 
tinent  was  washed  away  by  the  sea.  The  sacred  Ganga  came  rushing 
forward  from  the  heights  of  the  Himalayas,  and  eventually  Rama  ap 
peared  to  give  a  finishing  stroke  to  the  evolutionary  work  of  the  time. 
Vishvamitra  and  others  had  paved  the  way  for  the  great  work 
undertaken  by  Rama.  They  propounded  the  Karma  Kanda  of  the 
Vedas. 

Men  who  knew  nothing  but  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  this  short 
span  of  earthly  life,  and  whose  ideas  and  aspirations  were  all  confined 
to  that  life,  made  a  great  advance  when  they  were  taught  of  an  existence 
after  death.  When  they  further  knew  that  life  in  Svarga  was  infi 
nitely  happier  and  far  more  lasting  than  what  they  called  life  on  this 
earth,  they  made  the  beginning  of  a  really  spiritual  life.  The  Vedic 
Devas  are  permanent  dwellers  in  Svarga,  and  the  Vedic  Sacrifices 
establish  communion  with  them  by  me"ans  of  Apurva,  a  spiritual  force 
generated  by  the  performance  of  sacrifices,  and  life  in  Svarga  becomes 
prolonged  for  a  very  very  long  period.  People  took  time  to  under 
stand  this  truth,  but  in  time  they  accepted  the  performance  of  Vedic 
Sacrifices  as  the  only  religion  for  man. 

There  was  however  a  re-action.  The  intellectual  giants,  called 
Rakshasas,  looked  down  upon  Vedic  Sacrifices,  and  they  did  not  care  for 
any  life  after  death.  They  were  the  worst  enemies  of  the  Vedic  Rishis. 

Vishvamitra  took  the  help  of  Rama  in  protecting  the  Rishis  in 
the  peaceful  performance  of  Yajnas  : 

But  people  had  growji  old  in  their  ideas  about  Vedic  sacrifices. 
The  first  seceders  were  some  Kshatriyas.  They  did  not  understand 
why  Vedic  Sacrifices  should  be  the  monopoly  of  Brahmanas,  and 
20 


t   154  ] 

they  aspired  to  the  position  acquired  by  them.  The  foremost  of  these 
Kshatriyas  were  the  Haihayas  and  Talajanghas.  But  they  were 
defeated  by  Parashurama,  who  re-established  the  supremacy  of  the 
Brahmanas.  i 

But  a  silent  revolution  was  going  on,  in  which  the  Kshatriyas 
and  Brahmanas  equally  took  part.  King  Janaka  and  Rishi  Yajna- 
valkya  gave  the  finishing  stroke  to  the  Upanishad  movement,  and  side 
by  side  with  Karma  Kanda  grew  up  the  Jnana  Kanda  of  the  Vedas. 
Rama  brought  the  two  divisions  of  the  Vedas  into  closer  union,  as  he 
was  himself  the  resting  place  of  both.  And  as  Vishnu  himself,  He 
became  the  object  of  Upasana.  The  three  Paths  appeared,  that  of 
Karma,  Bhakti  and  Jnana.  Vedic  Sacrifices  held  their  own,  and  a 
school  grew  up  which  accepted  these  as  the  highest  Karma  which 
man  could  perform.  Another  school,  following  the  very  old  teachings 
of  Kapila,  dissected  the  transformable  parts  in  man  and  discriminated 
the  same  from  the  non-transformable.  A  sister  school  followed  up  the 
teaching  with  practices  in  conformity  to  these,  and  taught  how  to 
concentrate  the  mind  on  the  discriminated  Atma.  Another  school 
confined  itself  to  the  properties  of  matter  and  mind,  soul  and  over- 
soul,  and  remained  wonder-struck  at  the  superior  properties  that 
divided  Jiva  from  Ishvara.  Schools  of  independent  thought  grew  up. 
Each  school  had  its  followers.  There  were  differences  and  dissen 
sions.  There  was  disunion,  self-sufficiency,  pride,  envy,  jealousy  and 
other  evil  traits  of  human  character  that  thinks  too  much  of  itself. 
Every  one  followed  his  own  faith  and  hated  the  follower  of  other  faiths. 
This  was  the  cycle  of  Shishupdla  and  Dantavakta. 

Jarasandha  performed  Vedic  sacrifices,  and  he  put  in  chains  the 
Vaishnava  kings.  There  were  those  who  believed  in  the  existence  of 
two  primary  causes,  (Dvivid}.  Men,  like  the  king  of  Kashi,  prided 
themselves  on  mock  wisdom.  Religious  faiths  existed  in  all  possible 
shades,  and  their  difference  was  accentuated  by  dogmatism  and  mutual 
jealousy.  "  The  Vedas  are  different,  the  Smritis  are  different.  He  is  not 
a  Muni,  who  has  not  some  distinctive  opinion  of  his  own."  This  well- 
known  verse  related  strictly  to  the  period  of  which  we  are  now 
speaking.  Shishupala  had  respect  for  the  Munis.  He  was  essen 
tially  a  man  of  the  period. 

Sri  Krishna  taught  harmony.  He  gave  the  essence  of  all  re 
ligions,  the  eternal  truths  that  formed  the  ground  work  of  all  faiths. 
He  proclaimed  in  the  clearest  language  possible  the  One  underlying  the 
Many,  the  eternal  Brahman  as  forming  the  essence  of  Jiva  and  Ishvara. 
He  particularly  emphasised  the  relations  of  man,  fshvara  and  the  uni- 


[    155    1 

verse,  and  the  duties  that  follwoed  from  these  relations.  Religion 
became  a  science,  the  law  universal,  and  all  teachings  found  there 
respective  places  in  the  universal  religion  which  He  proclaimed.  The 
Rishis  bowed  down  their  heads  before  Him.  The  Upanishads  were 
never  explained  so  lucidly  before.  The  key-note  of  all  truths  and  all 
religions  was  unravelled  beyond  all  doubt.  Such  knowledge  could  pro 
ceed  only  from  Ishvara  Himself.  The  Rishis  recognised  Sri  Krishna  a 
the  Lord.  But  Shishupala  was  slow  to  believe  in  this  novel  revolution. 
He  did  not  understand  why  the  Rishis  gave  the  first  place  to  Sri 
Krishna  at  the  RajasClya  sacrifice  performed  by  Raja  Yudhisthira. 
The  difference  formed  a  religion  with  Shishupala.  But  the  age  of 
differences  was  doomed.  The  age  of  unity,  of  harmony,  of  spiritual 
glory  was  now  to  reign  in  the  Universe.  Hundreds  and  hundreds  of 
years  have  passed  away,  but  the  scriptures  one  and  all  proclaim  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  Sri  Krishna.  What  He  has  done  for  our  universe, 
we  shall  see  later  on. 

Danta-vakra  was  the  Tamasic  counterpart  of  Shishupala. 

The  Asuras  advanced  as  the  Kalpic  age  advanced.  There  was 
no  end  of  advancement  from  the  standpoint  of  self.  There  is  no  big 
jump  from  individnal  self  to  universal  self.  Though  the  essential 
idea  of  spirituality  is  unity  and  the  essential  idea  of  materiality  is 
diversity,  the  one  idea  develops  into  the  other  idea,  by  an  ever  widen 
ing  view  of  things.  Our  duties  enlarge.  Our  relations  increase.  The 
range  of  life  widens,  till  it  includes  the  life  in  Svarga.  Vedic  Yajna 
is  then  performed,  though  from  a  pure  motive  of  self-advancement. 
The  advanced  self  comes  very  near  to  the  universal  self.  The  perform 
ance  of  Vedic  sacrifices  is  Asuric  in  so  far  as  it  is  selfish,  but  it 
minimises  the  self  of  earthly  existence,  and  gives  a  transitory  character 
to  our  worldly  joys  and  sufferings,  and  it  gives  the  idea  of  an  enlarged 
self,  of  widened  existence  and  of  higher  duties.  The  Karma  Kanda 
of  the  Vedas  therefore  opens  the  door  widely  to  real  spiritual 
life. 

This  explains  why  Vishvarupa,  an  Asura,  guided  the  Devas  for 
some  time.  The  three  heads  of  Vishvarupa  represent  the  three  Vedas. 
The  swallow  head  is  the  Rik,  the  sparrow  head  is  the  Saman,  and 
the  Tittiri  head  is  proverbially  the  Yajur.  This  refers  to  the  preva 
lence  of  Karma  Kanda.  But  when  better  times  came,  Indra  killed 
Vishva-rupa.  The  place  of  Vishva-rupa  was  however  speedily  taken, 
up  by  Vritra.  And  Indra  had  recourse  to  Atharva,  the  fourth  Veda 
and  to  Dadhichi,  a  votary  (represented  as  the  son)  of  Atharva  Veda, 
the  very  ideal  of  self-sacrifice. 


And  who  is  this  Vritra?  The'Vedas  say  :— -"  Sa  imdn  lokdn 
Avrinot  etat  Vritrasya  Vritratvam" 

He  spread  over  (vri)  all  these  Lokas,  this  is  the  Vritra- 
ship  of  Vritrr, 

The  Bhagavata  saj^s  : — "  These  Lokas  are  spread  over  by  him 
in  the  form  of  Tvashtri's  Tapas.  Hence  he  is  called  Vritra."  VI. — 
9-xviii. 

The  invocation  of  Tvashtri  is  thus  described  in  the  Bhagavata  : — 
"  Rise  up,  O  Indra — Shatru,  never  give  up  enmity."  VI — 9-xii. 

The  word  shatm  means  enemy.  Tvastri  meant  to  say  "  he  who 
is  to  become  the  enemy  of  Indra."  But  by  proper  grammatical  con 
struction,  the  expression  means,  he  of  whom  Indra  is  to  become  the 
enemy.  The  invocation  was  therefore  defective  and  it  produced  a 
contrary  result.  Panini  points  this  out  as  an  apt  illustration  of  what 
bad  grammar  leads  to. 

The  Vedas  thus  speak  of  the  invocation  : — "  As  hesaid-5^//^  ! 
O  Indra-Shatru  !  rise  up — so  Indra  became  the  enemy  of  Vritra." 
Notwithstanding  his  wisdom,  Chitra-ketu  was  anxious  to  have  a  son. 
He  wept  bitterly,  when  the  son  was  lost.  He  was  a  votary  of  Sanka- 
rshana,  who  presides  over  Ahankara  or  Egoism.  So  by  devotion 
he  became  the  king  of  the  Vidyadharas.  This  selfish  devotion,  the 
worship  of  Gods  for  the  gratification  of  selfish  aspiration,  which  is 
so  universal,  is  Vritra. 

Vritra  was  killed  by  a  weapon  made  of  the  bones  of  Dadhichi — 
the  Rishi  of  self-sacrifice.  We  want  to  kill  thee  for  thy  bones,  for 
they  will  be  of  service  to,  the  universe,  so  said  the  Devas.  And 
Dadhichi  felt  the  height  of  pleasure  in  giving  himself  completely  up, 
that  the  universe  might  prosper. 

We  are  told  that  the  fight  with  Vritra  took  place  in  the 
Vaivasvata  Manvantara.  The  readers  will  easily  understand  why 
this  is  so. 

The  fight  between  the  Devas  and  the  Asuras  is  only  a  counter 
part  of  struggles  on  our  earth  between  the  forces  of  materiality  and 
spirituality.  With  the  appearance  of  Lord  Krishna,  the  ascendency 
of  the  Asuras  is  virtually  over,  and  however  self-seeking  we  may  be 
by  our  nature,  we  bow  down  before  the  ideal  of  unselfishness,  of  One 
Life  pervading  all  beings,  so  prominently  held  before  us  by  that 
greatest  of  all  Avataras,  and  the  circle  of  those  that  follow  this  ideal 
is  daily  increasing. 

But  why  is  Atharva  Veda  spoken  of  as  the  Veda  of  unselfish 
ness  ?  The  popular  idea  about  that  Veda  is  quite  the  contrary. 


[    157    I 

People  resort  to  it  "for  TAntric  malpractices.  The  Vajra  or  thunderbolt 
is  an  electric  current,  which  in  the  hands  of  Inclra  has  the  power  of 
spiritualisation.  The  Asuras  dread  the  subtle  forces  of  nature  which 
reach  them  even  in  the  regions  of  Patala.  Who  knows  ,what  purpose 
the  electric  discharges  serve  in  the  economy  of  nature-?  Who  knows 
of  the  subtler  currents  of  spiritual  forces  that  silently  bring  about  the 
grandest  revolutions  in  nature?  Atharva  Veda  inculcates  an  intimate 
acquaintance  with  the  subtle  forces  of  nature.  It  opens  the  door  alike 
to  White  as  well  as  Black  Magic.  But  at  the  present  day,  the  Black 
Magic  only  survives,  making  the  Atharva  a  name  of  opprobrium 
and  reproach. 

Marut  is  Vayu.  The  Maruts  are  forms  of  Pranic  energy. 
They  are  49  in  number,  corresponding  to  the  49  forms  of  Agni. 
These  49  forms  include  all  sorts  of  Pranic  energy  in  the  spiritual, 
intellectual  and  material  planes.  As  the  whole  process  of  evolution 
is  dependent  on  life  activities,  and  as  life  itself  is  essentially  divine, 
the  Maruts  are  the  companions  of  Indra.  As  by  life,  we  understand 
individual  life  as  imprisoned  in  Jivic  centres,  the  Maruts  are  by  birth 
Daityas. 

We  have  lingered  so  long  over  the  Daityas.  The  Danavas  are 
also  called  Asuras,  but  they  are  essentually  different  from  the  Daityas. 
Every  individual  has  got  two  aspects  —  Prakritic  and  Purushic.  The 
Purusha  aspect  in  him  is  limited  by  the  individual  Prakriti.  The 
individual  limitation  appertains  to  the  Daityas.  The  Prakritic 
element  in  man  is  Danavic.  The  chief  Danava,  Maya,  is  an 
aspect  of  Maya.  Maya  is  a  great  magician,  as  the  essence  of  Prakriti 
is  illusion.  Duryodhana  and  his  brothers  could  not  discriminate 
between  the  illusory  aspect  of  the  assembly-ground  prepared  by 
Maya.  To  the  Pandavas,  the  followers  of  Sri  Krishna,  there  was  no 
illusion.  The  Danavas  lead  men  away  from  spirituality,  so  much  so  that 
they  may  be  estranged  completely  from  their  spiritual  nature.  These 
dark  forces  in  nature  have  no  redeeming  feature  in  them.  Fortunately 
for  the  history  of  the  universe,  we  do  not  hear  much  of  them. 


THE  STORY  OF  HIRANYAKASIPU. 
SKANDHA  VII.  CHAP.  2-4. 

Upon  the  death  of  Hiranyaksha,  Hiranya-kasipu  collected  his 
companions  and  told  them  that  Vishnu  was  no  longer  keeping  that 
neutrality  and  impartiality  which  he  had  observed  of  yore.  On  the  con- 


[     158     ] 

trary,  he  had  taken  the  side  of  the  Devas,  under  the  pretence  of 
Up^sana. 

He  then  consoled  his  nephew  and  his  brother's  wife  by  words 
of  wisdom  explaining  to  them  the  transitory  character  of  the  world 
and  the  permanence  of  Atmd.  He  also  told  them  several  stories  to 
illustrate  the  point. 

Hiranya-kasipu  vowed  enmity  to  Vishnu.  He  prayed  hard 
for  immortality  and  supremacy  over  the  Triloki.  Brahma  became 
pleased  with  his  asceticism  and  enquired  what  boon  he  wanted. 
Said  Hyranyakasipu  : — "  Let  me  have  no  death  from  any  one  created 
by  Thee.  Let  not  those  that  are  not  created  by  Thee  kill  me  inside 
or  outside,  by  day  or  by  night,  with  any  weapon,  either  on  the  earth  or 
in  the  air.  Let  no  man  or  animal,  with  or  without  life  (asu\  Deva,  Daitya 
or  serpent  kill  me.  As  thou  art  without  a  rival  in  battle,  the  one 
glorious  lord  of  all  beings  and  all  Lokapalas,  so  let  me  be  too.  Let 
me  possess  all  the  Siddhis,  (Anima  &c.)"  Brahma  said,  Amen. 

Hiranyakasipu  then  ruled  the  Universe.  He  took  the  place  of 
Indra.  All  the  Devas  worshipped  him. 

Brahmanas  and  other  Grihasthas  performed  Yajna  in  his  honor 
and  gave  offerings  to  him.  The  earth  yielded  plenty  even  withont 
much  effort.  There  was  prosperity  all  around.  The  Shastras  were 
however  not  duly  respected.  (All  this  is  a  description  of  the  material 
period,  the  reign  of  Materiality).  A  long,  long  time  passed  on  in 
this  way.  At  last  the  Lokapalas  could  bear  it  no  longer.  They 
prayed  to  Vishnu  for  relief.  The  Devas  heard  a  voice  from  heaven 
"  Wait  ye  all.  The  time  has  riot  yet  come  for  the  fall  of  Hiranya 
kasipu.  He  shall  be  the  enemy  of  his  own  son.  I  kill  him  then" — 
Assured  by  these  words,  the  Devas  went  to  their  own  place, 


HIRANYAKASIPU  AND  PRAHLADA. 
SKANDHA  VII.  CHAP.  4-9. 

Hiranya-kasipu  had  4  sons.  Of  these  Prahlada  was  great  in 
his  virtues.  He  was  respectful,  well-behaved,  truthful,  self-controlled, 
friendly  to  all  beings,  and  great  in  his  devotion.  Even  in  his  infancy, 
he  gave  up  play  and  constantly  meditated  on  Vasudeva.  The  things 
of  the  world  had  no  relish  for  him.  In  the  exuberance  of  devo 
tional  feelings,  he  sometimes  laughed,  sometimes  wept,  semetimes 
sang  and  sometimes  danced.  At  times  when  the  feelings  were  pro 
found,  he  remained  quiet  with  hair  standing  on  end  while  tears  flowed 
down  his  cheeks. 


[     159    ] 

Shanda  and  Amarka,  sons  of  Shukra,  had  charge  of  the  educa 
tion  of  Prahlada.  He  heard  and  learned  whatever  they  had  to  say, 
but  he  inwardly  did  not  like  the  teachings  about  mine  and  thine  and 
about  the  transitory  things  of  the  world. 

Once  Hiranya-kasipu  placed  Prahlada  on  his  lap  and  asked 
him — "  What  do  you  consider  to  be  righteous,  (Sadhu}" 

Prahlada  replied : — Human  souls  enshrined  in  bodies  are 
always  distracted  on  account  of  false  perceptions.  O  great  Asura, 
I  therefore  consider  it  righteous  to  leave  the  house,  which  like  a  dark 
well  causes  the  down  fall  of  Atma,  in  order  to  go  to  the  forest  and  take  the 
shelter  of  Vishnu."  Hirany-kasipu  smiled  and  said  : — "  It  is  thus  that 
boys  are  spoiled  by  others.  Take  him  back  to  the  house  of  his 
teachers  and  let  them  see  that  Vaishnavas  in  disguise  may  not 
confound  his  Buddhi." 

The  teachers  brought  him  to  their  house  and  asked  him  in  gentle 
and  sweet  words  : — "  Child,  do  not  conceal  any  thing  from  us.  We 
are  your  teachers.  Tell  us  whether  this  perversity  is  spontaneous  in 
you  or  whether  it  is  acquired  from  others."  Said  Prahlada  : — "  i  and 
others,  this  is  mere  false  perception  caused  by  the  Maya  of  Bhagavan. 
So  salutations  to  Him.  When  Bhagavan  becomes  kind,  it  is  then 
only  that  the  difference-making  perception  of  men  disappears.  As 
the  iron  moves  of  itself  in  the  presence  of  a  magnet,  so  the  distrac 
tion  in  my  Budhi,  if  you  like  to  call  it  so,  rises  of  itself  in  the 
presence  of  Vishnu." 

"  Get  the  cane,"  said  one  of  the  teachers,  "  This  wicked  boy 
will  put  us  all  to  shame.  He  is  a  disgrace  to  his  family.  It  is  but 
meet  to  punish  him.  The  Daityas  are  sandal  trees  and  this  boy  is 
a  thorn  plant  amongst  them.  Vishnu  is  the  -one  for  the  extirpation 
of  the  sandal  forest,  and  this  boy  is  his  handle." 

They  threatened  Prahlada  in  various  ways  and  taught  him 
Dharma,  Artha  and  Kama,  and  the  different  devices  to  subdue  one's 
enemies.  At  last  they  thought  Prahlada  had  been  well  trained.  So 
they  took  him  to  the  king. 

The  king  embraced  the  child  and  said  "  Ptahlada,  my  boy,  ycft 
have  been  so  long  with  your  teachers.  Tell  me  what  you  have 
learned,  as  the  best  of  all." 

Prahlada  replied  : — "  Hearing  of  Vishnu,  recital  of  His  glory, 
constant  remembrance  of  Him,  attendance  on  Hari,  His  worship, 
adoration,  service,  and  friendship,  and  offering  oneself  entirely  to 
Him — this  is  ninefold  Bhakti.  This  Bhakti  is  to  be  offered  to 
Vishnu  and  acted  upon.  This  I  deem  to  be  the  best  teaching." 


[     1 60    J 

Hfranya  Kasipu  reproved  the  teachers  in  anger.  They  told 
him,  it  was  neither  from  themselves  nor  from  any  one  else  that  Prah- 
lada  had  these  teachings,  but  that  they  were  spontaneous  with  him. 
The  Asura  king  then  addressing  his  son  said  : — "  If  you  have  not 
learned  these  things  from  your  teachings,  whence  could  you  have 
such  a  vicious  inclination." 

Prahlada  replied  : — "  Inclination  for  Vishnu  does  not  come  to 
the  Grihastha  either  from  himself  or  from  any  other.  One  blind  man 
cannot  lead  another.  It  is  the  company  of  Mahatmas  alone  that 
can  give  such  an  inclination." 

Hiranya  Kasipu  could  bear  it  no  longer.  He  threw  down  the 
child  from  his  embrace,  and  asked  the  Asuras  to  kill  him  at  once 
or  expel  him.  They  cried  out  "  kill  him,  kill  him,"  and  struck  the 
five  year  old  child  with  their  spears.  But  Prahlada  was  deeply  con 
centrated  in  Bhagavan,  so  he  felt  not  the  spears  at  all.  This  .put 
Hiranya  Kasipu  in  fear,  and  he  devised  means  to  kill  the  boy. 

He  tried  big  elephants,  venomous  serpents,  Tantric  practices, 
throwing  down  the  child  from  the  hills,  enclosing  him  in  cavities,  poi 
soning,  starvation,  cold,  air,  fire,  water,  but  failed  to  kill  his  innocent 
son.  He  then  thought  his  end  was  near  at  hand  and  became  melan 
choly.  Shanda  and  Amarka  told  him  not  to  entertain  fears,  but  to 
wait  till  Shukra  came.  The  king  asked  them  to  take  charge  of  the 
boy  once  more.  They  again  commenced  to  teach  him  their  sciences. 
One  day  the  teachers  left  the  house  on  business.  The  boys  were  all 
engaged  in  play,  and  they  invited  Prahlada  into  their  midst.  Prah 
lada  took  the  opportunity  to  instruct  the  boys.  He  explained  to 
them  in  eloquent  terms  the  transitoriness  of  all  joys  and  sorrows  and 
the  vanity  of  all  worldly  attachments.  He  taught  them  the  impenshr 
able  character  of  Atma,  and  dilated  on  its  relation  to  the  body  and 
the  universe.  He  then  preached  in  glowing  words  friendliness  to  all 
beings  and  devotion  to  Bhagavan.  He  then  told  the  boys  that  he 
had  learned  these  things  himself  from  Narada. 

The  boys  expressed  wonder,  for  they  knew  Prahlada  to  have 
been  always  under  the  tuition  of  Shanda  and  Amarka. 

Prahlada  informed  them  that  when  Hiranya  Kasipu  had  gone 
to  the  Mandara  mountain  for  prayer,  the  Devas  attacked  his  kingdom, 
and  Indra  carried  away  his  wife.  Prahlada  was  then  in  her  womb. 
Narada  kept  Hiranya  Kasipu's  wife  in  his  own  Ashrama  till  he  had 
taught  to  her,  more  for  the  child  in  the  womb  than  for  the  mother,  the 
whole  of  Atma  Vidya. 


Prahlada  again  continued  the  discourse  and  impressed  on  his 
companions  in  the  most  eloquent  words,  full  of  wisdom,  the  utility 
and  nature  of  devotion.  (The  original  discourse  will  repay  perusal). 

The  teachers  returned  and  found  the  contagion  oS'Vaishnavism 
had  also  spread  amongst  other  boys.  They  instantly  reported  the 
matter  to  Hiranya  Kasipu.  The  king  became  all  wrath  and  angry. 
He  sent  for  Prahlada.  Prahlada  approached  him  with  all  respect  and 
humility.  The  king  thundered  forth  thus  : — "  What  makes  thee  so 
often  disobey  me,  thou  vile  enemy  of  thy  own  race  ?  Dost  thou  not 
know  that  I  will  instantly  put  thee  to  death?  All  Triloki  dreads  me 
and  trembles  when  I  am  enraged.  Birt  thou  dost  break  my  words 
without  the  least  fear  in  thy  mind." 

"Father,"  said  Prahlada,  "  Bhagavan  is  my  only  strength.  He 
is  not  only  my  strength,  but  also  yours  and  that  of  the  whole  world. 
Look  upon  all  as  your  own  self,  father." 

"Unfortunate  that  thou  art",  said  Hiranya  Kasipu,  "Tell  me, 
who  else  is  there  besides  myself  whom  thou  callest  Bhagavan  or 
fshvara.  Where  is  he?"  Said  Prahlada,  "He  is  everywhere." 

"  Why  not  then  in  this  pillar  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  see  him  there." 

"  Well,  let  me  sever  your  head  from  your  body  and  see  how 
your  Hari  can  preserve  you." 

So  saying,  Hiranya  Kasipu  took  sword  in  hand  and  violently 
struck  the  pillar  with  his  fist.  A  great  noise  was  heard  at  the  time, 
and  the  fearful  Nrisinha  came  out  of  the  pillar,  half  man,  half 
lion.  Hiranya  Kasipu  with  wonder  saw  He  was  neither  man  nor 
animal.  Nrisinha  placed  the  Asura  king  on  his  thighs  and  tore  him 
with  His  nails  to  death.  (For  a  description  of  Nrisinha  and  of  the 
fight  refer  to  the  original). 

The  Devas  all  collected  and  prayed  to  Him  one  after  the  other. 
But  Nrisinha  was  still  in  a  rage  and  they  dared  not  approach  Him. 
Brahma  at  last  sent  Prahlada  to  pacify  Him 

Prahlada  approached  Him  slowly  and  prostrated  himself  at 
His  feet ;  Nrisinha  became  full  of  tenderness  and  placed  his  hand 
on  the  head  of  Prahlada.  That  divine  touch  removed  all  evil  from 
Prahlada  and  illumined  his  mind  with  Brahma  Vidya.  He  then 
broke  forth  into  a  prayer,  (perhaps  the  most  sublime  in  the  Bhagavata 
Purana). 


21 


I     .162      ] 

THE  PRAYER  OF  PRAHLADA. 
SKANDHA  VII.  CHAP.  9. 

Brahrfl$  and  other  Devas,  Rishis  and  wise  men,  full  of  Satva, 
have  failed  to  adore  Thee  in  suitable  words.  How  can  this  Asura 
boy  please  Thee,  O  Hari :  But  I  think,  it  is  not  wealth,  good  birth, 
beauty,  asceticism,  learning,  power,  intellect,  or  even  Yoga  that  is  so 
much  suited  for  the  worship  of  Parama  Purusha  as  Bhakti.  It  is  by 
Bhakti  that  the  elephant  king  pleased  Bhagavan.  Even  a  Chanddla, 
(an  outcaste)  is  muck  superior  to  a  Brdhmana,  who  has  all  the  12 
virtues,  but  has  no  devotion  to  Vishuu.  For  the  Chandala  who  offers 
his  Manas,  his  words,  his  Karma,  his  wealth  and  even  his  Prana  to 
Vishnu,  purifies  not  only  himself,  but  his  whole  line,  while,  the  proud 
Brahmana  does  not  even  purify  himself.  (Without  devotion,  the  vir 
tues  only  serve  to  increase  pride.  They  do  not  purify  the  mind. 
Sridhara.) 

(The  Almighty  Vishnu  does  not  want  any  offering  from  the 
ignorant  for  himself.  He  is  possessed  of  all  things.  But  the  man  who 
gives  offerings  to  Him  can  alone  keep  them  to  himself,  for  verily 
the  paintings  on  the  real  face  are  to  be  seen  in  the  image.  The  self 
in  man  is  only  a  reflection  of  Atma  or  Manas.  Therefore  if  a  man 
does  any  thing  that  affects  his  Manas  only,  it  does  not  concern  his 
real  self.  If  an  offering  is  made  to  Isvara,  that  reaches  his  real  self). 

Therefore  though  %of  low  birth,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  reciting 
thy  glory  as  much  as  I  can,  for  such  a  recital  is  sure  to  purify  a 
man. 

With-draw,  O  Lord  !  this  terrible  form,  and  be  cooled..  Look  ! 
the  world  trembles  at  Thee. 

I  am  not  afraid,  however,  even  of  this  form,  as  I  am  afraid  of 
the  wheel  of  births.  Give  shelter  at  thy  feet,  that  I  may  gain 
Moksha. 

I  have  been  scorched  by  the  fire  of  misery  in  all  births.  The 
only  remedy  is  devotion  to  Thy  service.  For  Thy  servant  by  Thy 
favor  gets  the  company  of  Mahatmas.  By  their  company,  he  gets  rid 
of  all  worldly  attachments  and  sings  the  glory  of  Bhagavan.  Then 
the  miseries  of  life  cannot  overpower  him. 

The  parents  are  not  the  protectors  of  the  child  ;  medicine  is  not 
the  remedy  for  the  diseased  ;  the  boat  is  not  a  shelter  for  the  drown 
ing  ;  for  they  cannot  save  from  a  recurrence  of  evils-  And  even  the 
little  that  others  do  is  promoted  by  the  Prompter  of  all. 


t  163  ] 

When  Purusha  wishes,  Maya  disturbed  by  Kala  creates  the 
Sukshma  Sharira,  headed  by  Manas.  That  Manas  is  drawn  into  a 
world  of  recurring  births,  characterised  by  the  tranformations  of  Maya: 
(5  Jnanendriyas,  5  Karmendriyas,  5  Bhfltas  and  Manas).  I  am  being 
squeezed  in  this  wheel,  like  the  sugar-cane  in  the  mill. 

Draw  me  unto  Thee,  O  Lord !  or  I  am  lost  in  the  whirl. 

(Some  platitudes  and  a  short  account  of  the  part  taken  by 
Vishnu  in  the  creation  follow). 

Thou  dost  incarnate  as  man,  animal,  Rishi  and  Deva  in  order 
to  guard  all  beings,  to  destroy  the  enemies  of  the  world  and  preserve 
Dharma,  according  to  the  requirements  of  every  Yuga.  But  in  Kali 
Yuga,  Thou  concealest  Thyself.  Hence  (from  manifestating  only  in 
three  Yugas),  Thou  art  called  Triyuga. 

0  Lord   of  Vaikuntha,   this   mind   does  not  take  pleasure  fn 
discourses  about  Thee,  as  it  is   vitiated,    prone   towards   the   outside, 
unmanageable,  passionate  and  affected  by  the  three  promptings — joy, 
sorrow  and  fear.     How  can  I  with  such  a  mind  think  of  Thee  ? 

1  am  drawn  on  all  sides  by  the  Indriyas,  and  I  am  as  miserable 
as  a  man  with  many  wives. 

I  am  not  the  only  sufferer.  Look  !  all  men  remain  fallen  by 
their  own  karma  in  the  Vaitarani  (River  at  the  gate  of  Yama)  of  recur 
ring  births.  They  are  afraid  of  births  and  deaths  and  of  danger 
from  each  other.  They  are  mutually  both  friends  and  enemies.  Take 
pity  on  these  bewildered  creatures,  O  Thou  that  art  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  and  preserve  them  this  very  day  by  taking  them  across 
the  Vaitarani  (i.e.  the  relativities  of  Triloki  existence). 

O  guide  of  the  Universe !  what  is  thy  difficulty  in  saving  all 
men  ?  For  Thou  art  the  cause  of  the  creation,  preservation  and  des 
truction  of  the  Universe.  Thou  hast  much  kindness  for  the  ignorant. 
Thou  art  the  friend  of  the  afflicted.  What  then  by  saving  us  only 
who  serve  thy  favorite  men — the  Mahatmas  (for,  those  who  serve  the 
Mahatmas  are  already  saved). 

O  Thou  Supreme,  I  am  not  the  least  anxious  for  myself  about 
the  Vaitarani  (Triloki  existence),  however  difficult  to  cross  it  may  be, 
for  my  mind  is  plunged  in  the  nectar  ocean  of  singing  thy  glory.  But 
I  mourn  for  the  ignorant,  those  that  care  only  for  the  gratification 
of  the  senses  and  for  the  means  of  such  gratification  while  they 
remain  estranged  from  Thee. 

Generally,  O  Deva  !  the  Munis  are  desirous  of  their  own  Moksha, 
they  hold  their  tongue,  and  roam  in  solitude  without  caring  for  the 


t  164  ] 

good  of  others.  But  I  do  not  like  to  be  liberated  alone,  leaving  behind 
me  the  afflicted  round  me  ;  I  find  no  other  shelter  for  these  mis 
guided  people,  besides  Thee. 

They  ^re  not  happy,  O  Lord,  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  objects 
of  the  senses.  For  like  itching,  it  is  not  a  pleasure  by  itself  but 
seems  to  be  so,  as  long  as  Thou  art  not  known. 

It  is  said  that  holding  the  tongue  (ntouna\  vowed  observance 
(Vrata),  sacred  knowledge  (Sruta),  austerily  (Tapas),  reading  (Adhya- 
yana),  the  observance  of  rules  pertaining  to  one's  caste  (Sva  Dharma), 
exposition  of  Shastras  (Vyakhya),  living  in  solitude  (Rahas),  recital 
of  Mantra  (Japa),  and  Samadhi  also  lead  to  Moksha.  But  generally 
it  is  seen  that  these  are  only  means  of  livelihood  for  those  that  have 
no  control  over  their  senses.  And  for  proud  people  they  are  some 
times  the  means  of  livelihood  and  sometimes  not.  But  pride  in  itself 
is  not  a  good  thing. 

Thou  art  not  separate  from  the  Universe.  Both  cause  and 
effect  are  thy  forms.  It  is  not  by  avoiding  the  ways  of  Universe  but 
by  seeing  Thee  everywhere  by  means  of  Bhakti,  that  the  right  course 
is  followed.  It  is  by  striking  one  stone  against  another  that  fire 
comes  out,  and  not  otherwise." 

[Let  the  words  of  the  Asura  boy  resound  from  one  end  of  India 
to  the  other.  Let  the  sublime  words  of  compassion  and  universal 
love  be  written  in  characters  of  gold,  and  let  them  be  engraven  in  the 
hearts  of  all  Indians].  Prahlada  was  made  the  king  of  the  Asuras, 


VARNA  AND  ASHRAMA. 
SKANDHA  VII,    CHAP.  11  TO  15, 

Narada  related  the  story  of  Prahlada  to  King  Yudhisthira 
at  the  Rajasuya  sacrifice.  That  story  revealed  the  highest  devotion 
that  was  possible  for  a  Jiva  to  attain  with  the  idea  of  separate  ex 
istence.  But  separation  also  gives  rise  to  the  idea  of  difference.  And 
as  differences  become  established  in  society,  duties  and  relations 
become  manifold.  Yudhisthira  therefore  appropriately  asked  Narada 
about  the  Varnasrama  duties, 

The  general  rules  to  be  observe^  by  all  castes  are  first  given, 
ethical,  spiritual  and  devotional.  The  specific  duties  and  indications 
of  each  caste  are  then  given,  much  the,  same  as  given  in  Manu 
Sanhita,  as  also  the  duties  of  women.  The  following  significant 
passage  occurs  at  the  end  :  — 


t  165  ] 

"The  indications  of  each  caste  are  given  above  (e.  g.  restraint 
of  the  senses,  contentment,  &c.,  for  Brahmanas  ;  courage,  strength,  &c., 
for  Kshatriyas  ;  reverence,  energy,  &c.,  for  Vaishyas  ;  and  humanity, 
service  &c.,  for  Shndras).  If  however  the  indications  of  one  caste  are 
found  in  a  man  belonging  to  another  caste,  he  is  to  be  specified  by 
the  caste  of  his  indications  and  not  the  caste  of  his  birth."  VI 1-35. 

The  commentary  of  Sridhara  is  explicit  on  this  passage. 
This  shews  the  liberality  of  the  Bhagavata  Purana.  According  to 
this  Purana,  the  divisions  of  caste  at  the  present  day,  (for  one  must 
not  forget  that  the  Vaishnava  movement  belongs  comparatively  to  a 
later  period),  are  not  to  be  determined  by  birth,  but  they  are  indicated 
by  the  virtues  of  each  particular  individual. 

The  duties  of  each  Asrama  are  next  enumerated  in  detail. 
The  enumeration  follows  the  Smritis,  with  a  word  for  Bhakti  Yoga 
where  necessary.  Some  very  useful  hints  are  given  for  a  Grihastha, 
for  which  please  refer  to  the  original. 

The  paths  called  Pitriyana  and  Devayana  are  next  described. 
Hints  on  Yoga  and  the  recital  of  Pranava  are  also  given. 

YAJNA. 
SKANDIIA  VIII.    CHAP,  i, 

An  account  has  been  given  above  of  the  progeny  of  Devahuti 
and  Prasuti.  Yajna  is  the  son  of  Akuti.  In  the  First  Manvantara, 
when  Asuras  and  R^kshasas  were  going  to  devour.  Manu,  Yajna 
killed  the  former,  with  the  help  of  his  sons,  the  Yama  Devas.  He 
ruled  over  Svarga  as  the  Indra  of  that  Manvantara. 

[This  brings  us  to  the  end  of  the  1st  Manvantara.  The 
narration  at  several  places  took  us  to  later  Manvantaras,  and  the 
account  of  the  Asuras  especially  took  us  to  Vaivasvata  Manvantara. 
The  account  of  the  first  Manvantara  is  illustrative  of  the  succeeding 
Manvantaras.  Details  have  therefore  been  given  at  times  which  might 
not  properly  pertain  to  the  1st  Manvantara,  but  which  fit  in  with 
other  Manvantaras  at  those  stages  of  the  narration.  Necessarily  the 
account  of  the  succeeding  Manvantaras  is  very  meagre. 

END  OF  THE  FIRST  MANVANTARA. 


[     166     ] 

THE  SECOND  MANVANTARA. 
SKANDHA  VIII.  CHAP.  i. 

Svftrorhisha  is  the  2nd  Manu.  (Svar5chisha  =  Self  refulgent). 
He  is  the  son  of  Agni  ;  Dyumat,  Sushena,  Rochishmat  and  others 
are  the  sons '  of  this  Manu.  (Dyumat  and"  Rochishmat  also  mean 
bright,  refulgent).  Rochana  was  the  Indra  (Rochana  =  bright  illu 
minating).  Tushita  and  others  were  the  Devas.  Urjastambha  and 
others  were  the  seven  Rishis  well  versed  in  Brahma  Vidya. 

There  was  one  Rishi  named  Veda  Siras.  His  wife  was  Tus 
hita.  He  had  by  her  Vibhu,  the  Avatara  of  this  Manvantara.  Vibhu 
took  the  vow  of  Brahmacharya  and  never  married.  80,000  Rishis 
learned  his  Vrata. 

(The  Second  Manvantra  is  in  Theosophical  language  the  second 
ascending  half  of  the  1st  round.  The  spiritual  character  of  this 
Manvantara  is  manifest  from  the  use  of  words  meaning  "  bright," 
"  refulgent."  The  Avatara  is  Vibhu  or  All-pervading.  The  vow  of 
Vibhu  also  denotes  spirituality.  Agni  also,  the  father  of  the  Manu,  is 
almost  a  name  for  spirituality). 


THE  THIRD  MANVANTARA. 
SKANDHA  VIII.    CHAP.  i. 

The  third  Manu  is  Uttama,  son  of  Priya  Vrata.  Pavana, 
Srinjaya,  Yajnahotra  and  others  were  his  sons.  The  sons  of  Vasistha, 
Pramada  and  others,  were  the  seven  Rishis. 

Satya,  Veda  Sruta,  and  Bhadra  were  the  Devas.  Satyajit  was 
Indra. 

Dharma  had  by  Sunrita  one  son  named  Satya-Sena.  He  was 
the  Avatara  of  this  Manvantara.  He  was  born  with  others  called 
Satya-Vrata.  He  killed  wicked  Yakshas  and  Rakshasas  given  to 
falsehood,  and  Bhutas  who  injured  others. 

[The  characteristic  mark  of  this  Manvantara  which  is  the  first 
half  of  the  second  Round  is  Truth.  Satya  or  Truth  enters  into  the 
names  of  one  class  of  Devas,  of  the  Indra  and  of  the  Avatara.  The 
name  of  the  Avatara's  mother  was  also  truth.  The  Yakshas  and 
Rakshasas  were  given  to  falsehood]. 


THE  FOURTH  MANVANTARA. 
SKANDHA  VIII.    CHAP.  1-4. 

The  fourth  Manu  was  Tamasa,  brother  of  Uttama.  He  had 
ten  sons,  Prithu,  Khyati,  Nara,  Ketu  and  others. 

Satyaka,  Hari  and'  Vira  were  the  Devas.     Tris*ikha  was  Indra. 

Jydtirdhaman  and  others  were  the  seven  Rishis.  The  Vedas 
had  been  lost  in  time.  The  sons  of  Vidhriti,  called  Vaidhritis,  how 
ever  preserved  them  by  their  own  energy.  They  are  also  the  Devas 
of  this  manvantara. 

The  Avatara  Hari  incarnated  as  the  son  of  Harimedhas  by 
Harini.  He  saved  the  Elephant  king  from  the  crocodile. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  ELEPHANT  KING. 
SKANDHA  VIII.    CHAP.  2-4. 

An  elephant  king  resided  on  the  summits  of  Trikuta.  He 
roamed  about  with  his  female  herd,  intoxicated  with  the  juice  that 
exuded  from  his  temples.  Finding  a  lake,  he  plunged  himself  into 
its  waters  and  quenched  his  thirst.  He  then  took  water  in  his  trunk 
and  passed  it  on  to  the  young  herd  and  the  females.  A  powerful 
crocodile  attacked  him  in  rage.  They  fought  for  one  thousand 
years,  each  trying  to  draw  the  other  unto  him.  The  elephants  on  the 
bank  raised  a  piteous  cry,  but  they  could  not  be  of  any  use  to  their 
companion.  The  Elephant  King  got  tired  at  last,  but  the  crocodile 
being  in  his  own  element  did  not  feel  any  fatigue.  The  elephant 
devoutly  and  ardently  prayed  to  the  supreme  Purusha.  In  response 
to  that  prayer,  Hari  appeared  with  the  Devas,  seated  on  the  back  of 
Garuda.  He  drew  out  the  crocodile,  cut  off  its  head  with  the 
chakta  and  thus  saved  the  Elephant  King. 

The  Elephant  was  a  Gandharva,  named  HuhQ.  He  was  play 
ing  with  his  wives  in  a  tank.  Rishi  Devala  went  there  to  bathe. 
The  Gandharva  drew  the  Rishi  himself  by  his  feet.  The  Rishi 
cursed  him  to  become  a  crocodile.  The  elephant  was  king  Indra- 
dyumna  of  Pandya.  He  was  under  a  vow  of  silence  while  engaged 
in  meditation.  Rishi  Agastya  came  with  his  disciples,  but  the  king 
could  not  receive  him  with  a,ny  word  of  welcome.  "  O  thou  of  un 
trained  intellect  like  an  elephant,  be  an  elephant  thyself."  Such  was 
the  curse  of  the  Rishi  to  him. 


[     168     ] 

[The  Elephant  represents  the  characteristic  Jiva  of  this  Manvan- 
tara.  The  elephant  becomes  excited  and  mad  when  the  juice  exudes 
from  his  temples.  In  the  story,  madness  represents  the  prevalence 
of  Kama.  The  elephant  was  passionately  attached  to  his  wives. 
The  Jiva  had  given  himself  too  much  to  Kama,  and  he  was  carried 
away  helplessly  by  the  demon,  he  knew  not  where.  His  better  sense 
could  not  prevail  without  some  extraordinary  help  and  that  help  was 
given  by  Hari,  an  incarnation  of  Vishnu.  Possibly  the  story  repre 
sents  the  development  of  animal  instincts]. 


THE  FIFTH  MANVANTARA. 
SKANDHA  VIII.    CHAP.  5. 

Raivata  was  the  fifth  Manu.  He  was  the  brother  of  Tamasa. 
His  sons  were  Arjuna,  Bali,  Vindhya  and  others.  Vibhu  was  Indra. 
BhOtaraya  and  others  were  the  Devas. 

The  seven  Rishis  were  Hiranya-romay,  Vedasiras,  Urddha- 
bahu  and  others. 

The  presiding  deity  of  Vaikuntha  incarnated  in  partial  mani 
festation  as  the  son  of  Subhra  and  Vikuntha.  He  was  the  Avatara 
of  this  Manvantra.  [This  is  the  first  half  of  the  Third  Round.  The 
incarnation  of  the  Lord  of  Vaikunthd  may  have  some  significance, 
but  what  is  not  clear  from  the  text.] 


THE  SIXTH  MANVANTARA. 
SKANDHA  VIII.    CHAPTER  5. 

The  Sixth  Manu  was  Chakshusha,  son  of  Chakshus.  POru, 
POrusha,  Sudyumna  and  others  were  his  sons.  Mantra  Druma  was 
Indra.  Apya  and  others  were  the  Devas  ;  Haryasma,  Dviraka  and 
others  were  the  Rishis. 

The  Avatara  "was  Ajita,  son  of  Vairaja  by  Deva-Sambhuti. 
He  assumed  the  form  of  Kurma  or  the  Tortoise,  and  helped  in  the 
churning  of  the  Milk  Ocean. 


THE  CHURNING  OF  THE  OCEAN1. 
SKANDHA  VIII.    CHAP.  5-12. 

In  the  fight  with  the  Asuras,  the  Devas  lost  they:  lives.  They 
fell  down  and  did  not  rise  up  again.  By  the  curse  of  Durvasas, 
Indra  and  the  three  Lokas  became  shorn  of  Sri  or  Lakshmi  (wife  of 
Vishnu  in  Vaikuntha  :  Preservative  energy).  Consequently  there  were 
no  performances  such  as  Yajna.  (Durvasas  once  saw  Indra  on  the 
elephant  Airavata.  He  gave  him  the  garland  of  his  own  neck. 
Indra  proud  of  his  own  Sri  or  wealth,  placed  the  garland  on  the  head 
of  the  elephant.  The  elephant  threw  it  down  and  tore  it  to  pieces 
with  his  feet.  Durvasas  got  angry  and  cursed  Indra  that  he  and  his 
Triloki  were  to  lose  Sri.  Indra  did  not  know  what  to  do  and  the  JDevas 
all  went  over  to  the  seat  of  Brahma  on  the  top  of  Meru.  Brahma,  saw 
the  Lokapalas  lifeless  and  lustreless,  as  it  were,  the  Lokas  beset  with 
evils  and  the  Asuras  full  of  life  and  energy.  He  meditated  on 
Parama  Purasha  with  concentrated  mind  -and  then  addressed  the 
Devas  thus. 

"  Purusha  has  resort  to  Rajas,  Satva  and  Tamas  respectively  for 
Creation,  Preservation  and  Dissolution.  This  is  just  the  time  for 
Preservation.  For  the  good  of  all  beings,  He  shall  now  be  possessed 
of  Satva.  So  let  us  take  the  shelter  of  the  guide  of  the  universe. 
He  shall  now  befriend  the  Devas  and  do  what  is  best  for  us." 

The  Devas  with  Brahma  then  went  to  Ajita.  Brahma  prayed 
to  Him  as  the  Preservative  aspect  of  Virat  Purusha.  Vishnu  appear 
ed  before  the  Devas  and  addressed  them  thus  : — 

"  The  Asuras  favored  by  Sukra  are  now  victorious.  Make 
peace  with  them  so  long  as  you  are  not  strong  yourselves.  Lose  no 
time  in  churning  the  Milk  Ocean  for  Amrita  in  concert  with  the 
Asuras.  By  drinking  Amrita  even  dead  persons  become  immortal. 
Throw  all  creepers  and  herbs  into  that  ocean.  Make  Mandara  moun 
tain  the  churning  rod  and  make  Vasuki  the  rope.  Then  with  my 
help,  churn  the  ocean  with  all  diligence.  The  Asuras  shall  have  all 
the  trouble  to  themselves,  while  you  shall  reap  the  fruits.  If  the 
Asuras  ask  for  any  concession,  you  had  better  approve  of  that.  Do 
not  be  afraid  of  any  poison  that  may  arise.  Have  neither  greed  nor 
anger  nor  desire  in  respect  of  the  things  that  will  arise." 

So  saying  Vishnu  disappeared.  The  Devas  went  to  the  Asura 
King  Bali  and  Indra  explained  to  him  what  Vishnu  had  said  about 
the  churning.  The  Asuras  approved  of  the  plan  and  made  friends 


[    170    ] 

with  the  Devas.  They  then  went  together  and  uprooted  the  golden 
mountain  Mandara  and  carried  it  towards  the  ocean.  After  going 
a  long  way,  they  felt  fatigued  and  dropped  the  mountain.  Several 
Devas  and  Asuras  were  crushed  by  its  fall.  Vishnu  appeared  on 
Garuda  and  revived  them  all.  He  then  easily  placed  the  mountain 
on  the  back  of  Garuda  and  went  towards  the  ocean,  followed  by  the 
Devas  and  Asuras. 

The  Serpent  King  Vasuki  was  assured  of  a  share  in  Amrita 
and  he  consented  to  become  the  rope.  The  Mountain  was  then 
surrounded  by  Vasuki.  Vishnu  followed  by  the  Devas  held  the 
mouth  of  the  serpent.  But  the  Asuras  said  : — "  We  have  learned  the 
Vedas,  we  know  the  Sastras,  it  is  improper  for  us  to  hold  the  tail  of 
a  serpent.  We  will  not  do  that.  It  is  inauspicious."  Vishnu  smiled. 
He  and  the  Devas  gave  up  the  mouth  end  and  held  the  tail. 

The  churning  then  commenced.  The  Mountain  was  however 
heavy  and  it  sank  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean.  The  Devas 
and  Asuras  became  mournful.  Vishnu  then  assumed  the  form  of  a 
Tortoise,  went  into  the  water  and  raised  the  Mountain.  He  then 
remained  like  a  Dvipa  one  lakhsa  Yojanas  in  expanse  with  the 
mountain  on  his  back.  He  infused  his  influence  all  round.  Energised 
by  Him,  the  Devas  and  Asuras  vigorously  carried  on  the  churning. 
At  last  fire  and  smoke  came  out  from  the  thousand  mouths  of  Vasuki. 
This  overpowered  the  Asuras  and  the  Devas — but  the  Devas  were 
refreshed  by  clouds,  rains,  and  winds  sent  by  Vishnu. 

After  a  good  deal  of  churning,  poison  came  out  first.  It 
spread  out  on  all  sides  and  the  Prajapatis  and  their  progeny  in  terror 
took  the  shelter  of  Siva.  Siva  felt  compassion  for  them  and  with 
the  approval  of  Durga,  he  drank  up  the  whole  of  the  poison.  It 
made  his  throat  blue. 

The  Churning  recommenced.  Out  came  Surabhi  (the  fabulous 
cow  of  plenty).  The  Vedic  Rishis  took  that  Cow  for  the  necessaries 
of  Yajna.  Then  came  the  horse  Uchchaih-Sravas.  Bali  desired 
to  have  it.  But  Indra  as  directed  by  Vishnu  made  no  desire.  Then 
came  the  elephant  Airavata,  then  the  8  space  elephants  and  their 
8  female  partners. 

Next  arose  Koustubha,  the  celebrated  lotus-colored  gem. 
Vishnu  wished  to  have  it  as  an  ornament  for  His  breast.  P^ext  came 
Parijata,  then  the  Apsaras. 

Illumining  all  sides  with  her  lustre  arose  Lakshmi.  All  paid 
homage  to  her.  She  looked  on  all  sides,  but  found  none,  whom  she 


could  accept.  If  there  was  an  ascetic  he  could  not  control  his  anger. 
If  there  was  a  JnSni  (sophist)  he  could  not  get  over  attachments. 
There  might  be  a  Mahatma,  but  he  had  not  conquered  his  passion  of 
love.  How  could  he  be  called  fsvara,  who  depended  on  others,  (and 
no  one  but  fsvara  could  claim  Lakshmi).  If  there  was  Dharma  any 
where,  there  was  not  friendliness  for  all  beings.  If  there  was  sacri 
fice,  it  was  not  for  liberation.  There  was  power  but  it  could  not  resist 
the  flow  of  time.  If  there  was  one  void  of  likes  and  dislikes,  he  did 
not  take  a  companion.  If  there  was  any  one  long  lived,  he  had 
neither  good  nature  (Si/a}  nor  auspiciousness  (Mangala.)  If  one 
had  good  nature  and  auspiciousness,  he  was  not  long  lived.  If  one 
had  all  the  Virtues  he  was  out  of  his  element  with  her.  If  he  was 
all  that  she  wanted  he  did  not  want  her. 

Considering  everything,  Lakshmi  at  last  accepted  Vishnu  for 
her  husband.  He  placed  her  on  His  breast.  She  favored  the  Devas, 
so  they  became  possessed  of  all  the  virtues.  She  showed  indifference 
to  the  Asuras,  so  they  lost  their  might,  energy  and  modesty  and 
became  greedy. 

Then  arose  a  lotus  eyed  girl  called  Varuni  (Spirituous  liquor.) 
The  Asuras  accepted  her. 

Then  arose  Dhanvantari,  part  of  a  part  of  Vishnu,  with  a  pot 
of  Amrita  in  hand.  Seeing  the  pot  of  Amrita,  the  greedy  Asuras 
took  that  by  force.  They  quarrelled  with  each  other,  some  saying 
"  First  myself,"  "  First  myself,"  others  saying  "  Not  you  "  "  Not  you," 
whilst  the  weaker  amongst  them  finding  that  they  were  going  to  be 
deprived,  cried  out  in  jealousy  "  The  Devas  are  also  entitled  to  an 
equal  share.  They  have  also  toiled  with  us." 

At  this  time  Vishnu  became  a  most  beautiful  young  woman. 
She  filled  the  hearts  of  the  Asura  Chiefs  with  passion.  They  asked 
the  tempting  girl  to  settle  their  differences  and  to  make  a  proper 
distribution  of  Amrita  amongst  them.  "But  how  can  you  trust  a 
woman,"  said  the  girl.  But  the  Asuras  had  fallen  in  love  with  her, 
so  they  made  over  the  Amrita  pot  to  her  without  further  thought. 
She  consented  to  distribute  Amrita  on  the  condition  that  the  Asuras 
should  put  up  with  whatever  she  did,  right  or  wrong.  The  Asuras 
consented.  She  then  made  the  Devas  and  Asuras  sit  in  two  separate 
rows.  She  distributed  the  whole  of  the  Amrita  amongst  tha  Devas. 
Only  one  Asura  named  Raiiu,  sat  with  the  Devas.  The  Sun  and 
the  Moon  pointed  him  out  to  the  girl  Vishnu.  Vishnu  then  and 
there  severed  the  head  from  the  body  of  the  Asura,  but  as  the  head 


had  touched  Amrita,  it  became  immortal.     Brahma  made  it  a  planet. 
Rahu  still  pursues  the  Sun  and  Moon  at  eclipses  out  of  enmity. 

When  the  Amrita  was  wholly  spent,  Vishnu  assumed  His  own 
form  and  in  the  presence  of  all  left  the  place  on  the  back  of  Garuda. 

The  Asuras  found  they  had  been  deceived  and  they  became 
very  angry.  They  could  not  bear  the  success  of  their  enemies  but 
they  instantly  engaged  in  fight  with  them.  The  fight  was  personal 
between  the  chiefs  of  both  sides.  (It  is  interesting  to  note  the  anta 
gonistic  names,  as  they  give  the  correspondences  between  the  Deva 
and  Asura  chiefs.)  Indra  fought  with  Bali,  Kartikeya  with  Taraka, 
Varuna  with  Heti,  Mitra  with  Praheti,  Yama  with  Kalanabha,  Visva- 
karma  with  Maya,  Tvastri  with  Sambara,  Savitri  with  Virochana, 
Aparajita  with  Namuchi.  The  Asvini  Kumaras  with  Vrishaparvan, 
Surya  (Sun)  with  the  hundred  sons  of  Bali,  Vana  and  others, 
Chandra  (Moon)  with  Rahu,  Vayu  with  Puloman,  Bhadra  Kali  with 
Sumbha  and  Nishumbha,  Vrishakapi  with  Jambha,  Vibhavasu  with 
Mahisha,  the  sons  of  Brahma  with  Ilvala  and  Vatapi,  Brihaspati 
with  Sukra,  Sani  with  Naraka,  the  Maruts  with  the  Nivatakavachas, 
the  Vasus  with  the  Kaleyas,  the  Visvadevas  with  the  Poulamas 
and  the  Rudras  with  the  Krodhavasas.  (Those  who  want  to  make 
a  deep  study  will  do  well  to  note  these  correspondences  as  they  will 
serve  to  explain  points  which  I  have  not  touched  upon  as  beyond 
the  scope  of  the  present  work). 

The  Asuras  used  all  the  weapons  of  tempting  May£  and 
conquered  the  Devas,  Vishnu  then  came  to  their  rescue  and  they 
became  victorious  (The  details  of  the  fight  might  be  interesting  from 
an  occult  point  of  view,  for  which  the  reader  must  refer  to  the 
original.) 

Siva  heard  that  Vishnu  had  assumed  an  enchanting  female 
form.  To  satisfy  his  curiosity  he  went  to  Him  with  Bhavani. 
Vishnu  assumed  that  form  again  to  satisfy  Siva.  The  Astral  Lord 
became  passionate  and  ran  after  that  female  form  and  embraced  her. 
The  female  Vishnu  got  out  of  the  embrace  and  reassumed  His  own 
form.  Siva  was  then  restored  to  himself. 

THOUGHTS  ON  THE  ABOVE. 

We  have  already  seen  that  the  ascent  of  spirit  commenced  in 
the  Vaivasvata  Manvantara.  If  the  fourteenth  Manvantara  or  the 
second  half  of  the  Seventh  Round  he  left  out  of  consideration,  as 
the  Manvantara  of  Dissolution  or  Pralaya,  the  middle  of  the  remain 
ing  13  Manvantaras.  will  be  in  the  Vaivasvata  Manvantara.  But  the 


[     '73     ] 

ascent  could  not  commence  without  preparation.  That  preparation 
was  made  in  the  Chakshusha  Manvantara  or* during  the  latter  half 
of  the  Third  Round. 

Sri  or  Lakshmi  is  the  Satvic  energy  of  preservation.  This 
energy  was  so  much  overpowered  by  Materiality,  that  she  was  not 
to  be  found  in  Triloki.  JThe  spiritual  forces,  the  Devas,  lost  life  and 
energy.  The  Asuras  were  at  the  height  of  their  power.  But  as  the 
ascending  arc  was  near  at  hand,  the  Devas  were  promised  Amrita  i.  e. 
immortality  for  the  remaining  part  of  the  Kalpa.  But  that  Amrita 
was  to  be  obtained,  the  arc  of  spiritual  evolution  was  to  be  raised  by 
the  churning  of  the  ocean  of  Milk. 

The  ocean  of  Milk  does  not  appertain  to  Jambu  Dwipa,  but 
it  is  the  ocean  of  Saka  Dwipa.  The  seven  oceans  are  transformations 
of  Prakriti,  differing  in  the  admixture  of  Satva,  Rajas  and  Tamas  and 
determining  the  character  of  the  globe  they  surround.  Vishnu,  as  the 
Third  Purusha,  is  the  divine  source  of  evolution  in  every  Jiva.  The 
seat  of  that  Vishnu  is  the  ocean  of  Milk,  the  ocean  where  Satva 
prevails. 

It  is  Vishnu  who  from  His  seat  in  the  Ocean  of  Milk  sends 
down  Pra"nic  Energy  and  the  mineral  becomes  a  vegetable.  He 
sends  down  the  power  of  perception  and  then  the  power  of  concep 
tion  and  the  vegetable  becomes  an  animal  and  at  last  a  man. 
Throughout  this  course  of  evolution,  there  is  a  development  of  the 
self  element  in  us.  There  is  no  idea  of  self  in  the  mineral  or  in  the 
vegetable.  It  faintly  asserts  itself  or  rather  makes  an  effort  to  assert 
itself  in  the  animal  kingdom.  The  early  history  of  humanity  is  the 
development  of  the  selfish  element  in  him.  The  Jiva  has  two  sides 
in  himself  and  non-self.  The  self  side  is  caused  by  limitation  due 
to  his  own  senses  They  put  him  in  contact  with  the  outside  world, 
and  make  him  a  centre  of  sense  perceptions.  He  becomes  lost 
entirely  in  the  sense  products,  which  form  a  world  by  themselves. 
The  non-self  side  of  a  Jiva,  is  his  spiritual  nature.  He  begins  with 
this  spiritual  nature.  But  the  development  of  selfishness  eclipses 
this  nature,  the  true,  the  real  nature  of  Jiva,  and  he  identifies  himself 
entirely  with  the  acquired  and  false  nature. 

Then  comes  a  crisis  in  the  evolution  of  Jivas.  Were  men  to 
be  lost  for  ever  to  their  spiritual,  their  real  nature  ?  Were  they  to  be 
tempted  away  by  the  senses,  which  had  done  their  work  of  training, 
past  all  chance  of  return  ?  , 

Vishnu,  the  God  of  human  evolution,  willed  otherwise.  He 
caused  a  re-adjustment  of  the  Dai  vie  and  Asuric  forces,  and  the  Devas 


t     174    ] 

by  His  help  got  the  better  of  the  Asuras.  This  is  the  churning  of 
the  Ocean  of  Milk.  It  averted  a  crisis  and  is  therefore  a  great  event 
in  the  history  of  the  Universe. 

The  Asura  element  could  not  be  altogether  wiped  away.  For 
the  Deva  or  spiritual  nature  evolves  out  of  Asura  or  selfish  and 
material  nature.  Unselfishness  grows  out  of  selfishness,  spirituality 
rises  out  of  materiality. 

In  the  act  of  churning,  the  Devas  could  not  do  without  the 
Asuras.  Churning  itself,  implies  the  action  and  reaction  of  two 
contending  forces.  "  Make  peace  with  them,  as  long  as  you  are  not 
strong  yourselves."  The  compromise  of  the  Devas  with  the  Asuras 
is  the  development  of  spiritual  faculties  out  of  the  personal  element 
in  man.  It  is  the  grafting  of  higher  Manas  on  lower  Manas.  The 
element  of  mind  is  in  the  Asuras  as  well  as  in  the  Devas.  But  the 
Asuric  or  lower  mind  thinks  of  self  as  separate  from  other  selves. 
The  Daivic  or  higher  mind  breaks  through  the  trammels  of  personality 
and  finds  oneness  all  round. 

To  use  a  better  expression,  we  shall  say  higher  self  and  lower 
self,  rather  than  self  and  non-self. 

Jivas  are  carried  on  in  their  course  of  life  evolution  by  the 
force  of  past  tendencies,  and  nature  unaided  produces  the  personal 
man.  But  when  the  past  tendencies  are  exhausted,  there  is  nothing 
to  keep  on  the  Jivas  in  their  course  of  evolution. 

Ktirma  comes  to  the  help  of  humanity  at  this  stage.  He  gives 
a  new  power  to  men,  the  power  of  discrimination.  With  this  power 
men  become  free  agents,  and  they  become  responsible  for  their 
actions.  They  then  generate  new  Karma  for  themselves,  which  takes 
them  through  infinite  births  and  becomes  a  most  potent  factor  in 
their  future  evolution. 

The  three  Purushas  have  three  Oceans  as  their  correspond 
ences.  The  first  ocean  (Karana)  gives  the  materials  of  the  Jiva  body. 
The  Second  ocean  (Garbhoda),  gives  the  germs  of  all  Jivas.  The 
third  (Kshira)  is  the  ocean  of  Jiva  evolution.  This  ocean  is  churned 
for  the  spiritual  evolution  of  Jivas,  and  it  yields  all  that  is  necessary 
for  that  evolution.  Vishnu  himself  appears  as  Kurma  and  becomes 
the  sustaining  force  of  that  evolution. 

It  is  a  Kalpic  revolution.  Vasuki  sustains  the  earth  and  its 
inhabitants  for  one  Kalpic  period.  The  thousand  hoods  represent 
the  thousand  Mah&  yugas  of  every  Kalpa.  The  Asuras  held  the 
mouth  end  of  the  serpent  king  and  the  Devas  held  the  tail  end.  And 


[     '75     ] 

the   Devas   acted    wisely.     For  as    the    Kalpa    waned,    they  got   the 
supremacy. 

The  tortoise  thrusts  out  its  limbs  and  draws  them  in.  Man  is 
drawn  outside  by  his  senses  during  material  descent  and  he  is  drawn 
in  by  his  spiritual  ascent.  It  is  by  the  power  of  discrimination  when 
fully  developed  that  a  man  returns  to  his  higher  nature. 

Sri  or  Lakshmi  is  the  divine  energy  of  Vishnu.  She  is  the 
Energy  of  preservation,  of  evolution  and  progress.  She  works  out 
all  that  is  good,  all  that  is  beautiful,  and  all  that  is  powerful  in  this 
Universe.  The  possibilities  of  purely  material  development  or  of 
Nature's  own  evolution,  are  limited,  and  they  are  worked  out  in  time. 
Then  there  is  a  void.  There  was  this  void  in  our  universe  and  Tri- 
loki  become  deprived  of  Sri.  This  was  the  curse  of  Durvasas,  an 
Avatara  of  Siva. 

The  Churning  took  place  as  a  remedy  for  this  evil.  Fresh 
forces  had  to  be  brought  into  requisition,  fresh  elements  that  could 
secure  the  spiritual  evolution  of  the  universe.  Lakshmt  herself  re 
appeared  in  a  most  enchanting  form,  as  the  energy  of  a  new  evolu 
tion,  the  very  best  that  man  was  capable  of.  The  necessaries  of  this 
evolution  also  appeared  and  became  powers  in  the  hands  of  those 
that  had  to  take  part  in  the  spiritual  evolution  of  the  universe. 

All  evolution  is  preceded  by  dissolution.  Unless  we  give  up 
the  evil  element  in  us,  we  can  not  acquire  the  good.  The  evil  has  to 
be  destroyed  and  the  Lord  of  destruction,  in  his  infinite  compassion, 
accepted  this  poision  for  himself,  to  do  away  with  the  evils  of  the 

Universe. 

The  Poison  only  opens  the  door  for  Amrita,  the  spiritual 
nectar.  The  famous  Purusha  SOkta  says: — •'  He  placed  Amrita  or 
eternal  bliss  in  the  higher  three  Lokas."  The  Bhagavata  renders  this 
famous  saying  into  the  eighteenth  sloka  of  the  6th.  chapter  of  the 
Second  Skandha.  Commenting  on  this  sloka,  Sridhara  says,  bliss  in 
our  Triloki  is  only  transitory  and  the  dwellers  of  Mahar  Loka  have 
also  to  leave  their  abode  for  the  higher  Jana  Loka,  when  they  are, 
oppressed  by  the  fire  of  Kalpic  dissolution.  Amrita  was  secured  to  the 
higher  Lokas,  as  there  is  no  selfishness  in  them.  (III.  10-9.)  Could 
the  Asuras,  the  gods  of  selfishness,  aspire  to  have  life  immortal  and 
unlimited  bliss.  Vishnu  deqided  otherwise. 

The  way  was  thus  prepared  for  the  Vaivasvata  Manvantara, 
when  men  learned  to  discern  between  right  and  wrong.  ] 


THE  SEVENTH  MANVANTARA. 
SKANDHA  VIII.    CHAP.  13. 

Sraddha  Deva  son  of  Vivasvat  or  Surya  is  the  seventh  Manu. 
He  is  reigning  'at  present.  Ikshvakur  Nabhaga,  Dhrishta,  Saryati, 
Narishyanta,  Nabhaga,  Dishta,  Tarusha,  Prishadhra,  and  Vasumat  are 
his  ten  sons. 

The-  Adityas,  the  Vasus,  the  Rudras,  the  Visvadevas,  the 
Maruts,  the  Asvini-kumaras  and  the  Ribhus  are  the  Devas.  Puran- 
dara  is  their  Indra.  Kasyapa,  Atri,  Vasistha,  Visvamitra,  Goutama, 
Jamadagni  and  Bharadvaja  are  the  seven  Rishis. 

The  Avatara  of  this  Manvantara  is  Vamana,  the  youngest  son 
of  Aditi  by  Kasyapa. 

(The  Purana  will  revert  to  this  Manvantara  after  giving  a 
general  account  of  the  succeeding  Manvantaras). 


THE  EIGHTH  MANVANTARA. 
SKANDHA  VIII.    CHAP.  13. 

Savarni  is  the  son  of  Vivasvat  by  his  wife  Chaya.  He  shall 
be  the  eighth  Manu — Nirmoka,  Virajaska  (without  Rajas)  and  others 
shall  be  his  sons.  Sutapas,  Viraja  (without  Rajas)  and  Amrita  Pra- 
bha  shall  be  the  Devas.  Bali,  son  of  Virochana,  shall  be  the  Indra. 

Galava,  Diptiman,  Parasurama,  Asvathama,  Kripa,  Rishya 
Sringa  and  Vyasa  shall  be  the  seven  Rishis. 

Sarvabhouma,  son  of  Devaguhya  by  Sarasvati,  shall  be  the 
Avatara.  He  shall  wrest  the  kingdom  of  Svarga  Loka  from  Puran- 
dara  and  make  it  over  to  Bali. 

(The  eighth  Manvantara  is  the  Second  half  of  the  Fourth 
Round  and  should  be  the  spiritual  half  according  to  Theosophical 
ideas.  But  we  find  the  Asura  King  Bali,  who  was  removed  from  the 
kingdom  of  Triloki  in  the  Vaivasvat  Manvantara,  restored  to  the 
kingdom  of  Svarga. 

Amongst  the  Rishis  we  find  Parasurama  who  fought  with 
Rama  and  Asvatthama  and  Kripa  who  ranged  themselves  against 
the  Pandava  brothers  in  the  battle  of  Kurukshetra. 

All  this  shews  that  spirituality  was  developed  out  of  materiality. 
The  sons  of  Manu  are  Nirmoka  and  Virajaska.  Moka  is  the  cast 


[    177    ] 

off  skin  of  an  animal  and  may  well  represent  the  sthula  body.     Nir- 
moka  is  one  without  Moka. 

Virajaska  is  without  Rajas.  So  the  course  of  evpjution  shews 
a  tendency  in  the  first  place  to  cast  off  the  sthula  body  and  to  over 
come  the  Rajas. 

THE  NINTH  MANVANTARA. 
SKANDHA  VIII.  CHAP.  13. 

The  ninth  Manu  is  Daksha  Savarni.  He  is  the  son  of  Varuna 
Bhutaketu,  Diptaketu  and  others  shall  be  his  sons.  Para,  Marichi 
garbha  and  others  shall  be  the  Devas  and  Adbhuta  their  Indra.  Dyu 
timat  and  others  shall  be  the  Rishis. 

Rishabha,  son  of  Ayushmat  by  Ambudhara,  shall  be  the 
Avatara. 


THE  TENTH  MANVANTARA; 

«. 
SKANDHA  VIII.  CHAP.  13. 

Brahma  Savarni  is  the  tenth  Manu.  He  is  the  son  of  Upas*loka. 
Bhurishena  and  others  shall  be  his  sons.  Havishmat,  Sukrita,  Satya, 
Jaya,  Murti  and  others  shall  be  the  Rishis  ;  Suvasana,  Aviruddha  and 
others  shall  be  the  Devas  and  Sambhu  their  Indra. 

Vishvaksena,  son  of  Visvasrij  by  Visuchi,  shall  be  the  Avatara. 

THE  ELEVENTH  MANVANTARA. 
SKANDHA  VIII.  CHAP.  13 

Dharma  Savarni  is  the  eleventh  Manu.  Satya-Dharma  and 
others  shall  be  his  ten  sons.  Vihangama,  Kalagama,  Nirvana-ruchi 
and  others  shall  be  the  Devas,  Vaidhrita  their  king,  and  Aruna 
and  others  the  Rishis.  Dharma-Setu,  son  of  Aryaka  by  VaidhriU 
shall  be  the  Avatara. 


23 


[     178    ] 
THE  TWELFTH  MANVANTARA. 

SKANDHA  VIII.  CHAP.  13. 

> 
Rudra-Savarni  is  the  twelfth  Manu.    Devavat,  Upadeva,  Beva- 

srestha  and  others  shall  be  his  sons  (men  shall  be  evolved  into  Devas 
in  this  Manvantara).  Harita  and  others  shall  be  the  Devas,  Rita- 
dhaman  their  Indra.  Tapomurti,  Tapasvin,  Agnidhraka.  and  others 
the  Rishis  ;  Svadhaman,  son  of  Satya-sahas  by  Sunrita,  shall  be  the 
Avatara. 

THE  THIRTEENTH  MANVANTARA. 
SKANDHA  VIII.  CHAP.  13. 

Deva  Savarni  is  the  thirteenth  Manu.  Chitra  Sena,  Vichitra 
and  others  shall,  he  his  sons,  Sukarma  and  Sutrama  the  Devas, 
Divaspati  their  Indra  and  Nirmoka,  Tatvadarsa,  and  others  the  Rishis. 

Yogesvara,  son  of  Devahotra  by  Vrihati,  shall  be  the  Avatara. 

THE  FOURTEENTH  MANVANTARA. 
SKANDHA  VIII.  CHAP.  13. 

Indra  Savarni  is  the  fourteenth  Manu.  Uru,  Gambhira,  Vra- 
dhna  and  others  shall  be  his  sons ; 

Pavitra  and  Chakshusha  the  Devas,  Suchi  their  Indra,  Agni, 
V4hu,  Suchi,  Suddha  Magadha  and  others  the  Rishis. 

Brihat-bhanu,  son  of  Satrayana  by  Vitana,  shall  be  the  Avatara 
(*.  e.  the  great  sun  shall  absorb  everything.) 


THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  A  MANVANTARA 
SKANDHA  VIII.    CHAP.  14. 

Said  Raja  Parikshit : — Tell  me,  O  Rishi,  what  are  the  respec 
tive  duties  of  Manu  and  others  in  the  Manvantaras. 

Suka  replied  : — The  Avatdra  of  each  Manvantara  guides  the 
Manu,  the  sons  of  Manu,  the  Rishis,  the  Indra  and  the  Devas  of  that 
Manvantara.  (  Each  Manvantara  has  its  own  place  in  the  history  of 
the  Kalpa,  and  the  general  evolution  has  to  be  worked  out  in  the  way 


[     179    ] 

best  adapted  to  that  Manvantara.  The  administration  of  each  Man- 
vantara  is  in  the  hands  of  a  separate  set  of  kings  and  ministers. 
Vishnu  incarnates  in  each  Manvantara,  as  the  king  of  all  who  serve 
as  administrative  officers  of  that  Manvantara  and  he  is^as  such  called 
the  special  Avatara  for  that  Manvantara.  The  divine  kings,  the 
Rishis,  the  Devas,  all  work  under  His  direction.  He  gives  the  law 
that  is  to  be  administered.  He  shews  the  path,  which  evolution  is  to 
take  in  any  particular  Manvantara.) 

Yajna  and  others  are  Avataras  of  Purusha.  Guided  by  them, 
Manu  and  others  lead  the  course  of  the  universe. 

Rishis  : — At  the  end  of  every  four  Yugas,  the  Srutis  become 
devoured  by  time.  (The  human  races  have  a  life  period  timed  to  the 
four  Yugas.  They  have  their  infancy,  as  it  were,  in  Satya  Yuga,  and 
they  have  to  be  guided  by  wise  sayings,  which  form  the  Srutis  of 
those  races.  The  Srutis  become  better  understood  with  the  growth  of 
racial  intelligence  and  other  texts  take  the  place  of  old  ones.  When 
the  races  do  not  require  the  help  of  the  earlier  texts,  those  texts 
become  lost  in  time.  When  the  races  begin  another  life  cycle,  they 
require  again  the  help  of  teachings,  which  become  revealed  to  the 
Rishis.  The  Rishis  then  give  those  teachings  to  the  races.)  The 
Rishis  find  out  the  Srutis,  by  means  of  Tapas.  The  eternal  Dharma 
proceeds  from  the  Srutis.  (People  know  their  duties  from  the  scrip 
tures.) 

Manu?. — The  Manus  then  take  up  the  Dharma,  and  each  in 
his  own  time  devotedly  promulgates  it  on  the  earth. 

Mann's  sons. — The  sons  of  Manu  preserve  the  Dharma,  gener 
ation  after  generation,  till  the  end  of  the  Manvantara. 

Devas  and  Indra. — Indra,  with  the  Devas  that  participate  in 
sacrificial  offerings,  protects  the  three  Lokas  and  gives  rains. 

(Besides  this  general  administration,  there  are  other  ways  also 
of  managing  the  affairs  of  the  universe  and  these  are  mentioned  inci 
dentally  in  the  following  slokas.  Sridhara.) 

Han  appears  as  the  Siddhas  (Sanaka  and  others)  and  ex 
pounds  divine  wisdom  ( Jnana)  in  every  Yuga.  He  appears  as  Rishis 
(Yajnavalkya  and  others.)  and  expounds  Karma.  As  Lords  of  Yoga 
(  Dattatreya  and  others),  He  expounds  Yoga, 


[     i8o    ] 

THE  STORY  OF  BALL 
SKANDHA  VIII.   CHAPS.  15-23. 

Bali,  s6t?  of  Virochana  and  grandson  of  Prahlada,  was  once 
defeated  by  Indra.  His  Guru,  Sukra,  advised  him  to  perform  the 
Visvajit  sacrifice.  When  ghee  was  offered  at  the  sacrifice,  one  chariot, 
some  green  coloured  horses,  one  lion-marked  flag,  one  golden  bow, 
two  quivers  with  an  inexhaustible  store  of  arrows,  and  one  divine 
kavacha  (protective  charm)  arose  from  the  fire.  Bali  gladly  accepted 
these  things.  Prahlada  also  gave  him  a  fresh  garland  and  Sukra  gave 
him  a  conch. 

Equipped  with  these  things  Bali  attacked  Svarga.  Brihaspati 
told  Indra  the  time  was  inauspicious  and  the  Devas  could  not  suc 
ceed  without  the  help  of  Vishnu.  He  advised  them  to  give  in  and  to 
remain  concealed  somewhere,  till  the  time  came  for  their  ascendancy. 
The  Devas  followed  the  advice  of  Brihaspati  and  Bali  became  the 
king  of  Triloki. 

Sukra  advised  Bali  to  perform  one  hundred  Asvamedha 
sacrifices. 

Aditi  became  disconsolate  at  the  down-fall  of  her  sons.  She 
asked  her  husband  Kasyapa  what  to  do  for  her  sons.  The  Prajapati 
advised  her  to  observe  Payovrata  in  honor  of  Vishnu  (for  details,  see 
the  original).  She  observed  the  Vrata  for  12  days  when  Vishnu 
appeared  before  her  and  assured  her  He  would  incarnate  as  her  son. 

Vamana  was  born  of  Aditi  at  midday,  on  the  I2th  day  of  the 
moon,  during  the  white  quarter  in  the  month  of  Bhadra,  while  the 
moon  was  in  the  first  part  cf  Sravana,  in  the  Abhijit. 

( Vamana  =  Dwarf).  Vamana  heard  that  Bali  was  performing 
Asvamedha  on  the  banks  of  the  Narmada.  He  went  there  and  Bali  re 
ceived  him  duly  and  enquired  what  he  wanted,  expressing  his  willing 
ness  to  gratify  him  fully.  Vamana  asked  for  only  three  paces  of 
ground.  Bali  laughed  at  this  modest  prayer  and  asked  him  to  take 
more  land.  But  Vamana  excused  himself,  saying  a  Brahmana  should 
be  content  with  small  things  only.  Bali  laughed  again  and  at  once 
said  "  Then  accept."  He  then  took  the  waterpot  to  make  the  formal 
gift.  Sukra  perceived  the  object  of  Vishnu.  He  tried  to  dissuade 
Bali  from  carrying  out  his  promise  f<  This  is  not  a  dwarf  Brah 
mana  but  Vishnu  Himself.  By  one  pace  he  will  cover  the  whole 
of  Bhur  Loka  and  Bhuvar  Loka.  By  the  second  pace,  He  will  cover 
Svar  Loka  and  what  then  will  become  of  the  third  pace  ?  You  will  have 


to  go  to  Naraka  for  not  being  able  to  fulfil  your  promise.  And  where 
shall  you  yourself  remain  after  giving  over  all  you  have  ?  Therefore 
desist  from  what  you  are  doing.  No  doubt  truth  is  preferable.  But 
the  Vedas  also  allow  untruth  in  extreme  cases." 

Bali  replied  : — "  The  grandson  of  Prahlada  shall  never  speak 
an  untruth.  I  will  give  to  this  Brahmana  boy  what  I  have  promised, 
even  if  he  be  Vishnu  and  my  enemy  too." 

Sukra  said  in  anger — "  You  disregard  the  words  of  your  Guru. 
So  you  shall  forthwith  lose  everything." 

Bali  remained  unmoved.  He  worshipped  the  Brahmana  boy 
and  read  out  the  formal  Mantra  of  giving  over  three  paces  of  land. 
Viridhyavali,  the  virtuous  consort  of  Bali,  at  this  time  placed  a  golden 
pitcher  filled  with  water  before  her  husband.  He  washed  the  feet 
of  Vamana  with  that  water,  and  sprinkled  it  over  his  head.  Then 
Vamana  wonderfully  grew  in  size.  The  whole  Universe  became 
visible  in  him.  He  seized  the  whole  of  Bhur  Loka  with  one  pace — the 
whole  of  Bhuvar  Laka  with  his  body,  and  the  directions  in  space  with  his 
hands,  so  that  even  the  whole  of  Svar  Loka  became  insufficient  for 
the  second  pace.  But  nothing  remained  for  the  third  pace.  For  the 
second  pace  of  Vamana  passed  through  Mahar  Loka,  Jana  Loka, 
Tapas  Loka  and  reached  even  Satya  Loka. 

The  Asuras  exclaimed  : — "  By  what  an  unjust  device  has  our  king 
been  deprived  of  all !  It  is  no  sin  to  fight  with  this  disgrace  of  a 
Brahmana,  this  deceitful  Vishnu."  So  they  engaged  in  fight  with  the 
followers  of  Vishnu,  but  were  defeated  by  them. 

Bali  told  his  followers  there  was  no  use  fighting,  for  Kala  was 
against  them.  The  same  Bhagavan  who  had  favored  them  was  now  in 
opposition. 

Garuda,  knowing  the  intention  of  Vishnu,  tied  Bali  with  the 
noose  of  Varuna. 

Vamana  then  addressing  Bali  said: — "Where  is  your  promised 
ground  for  my  third  pace  ?  You  have  told  a  lie.  You  do  not  carry 
out  your  promise  to  a  Brahmana.  For  this  you  will  have  to  go  to 
Naraka." 

Bali  said  : — "  Do  not  think  I  told  an  untruth  or  that  I  mean  to 
deceive  thee.  Here  is  my  head  for  the  third  pace.  I  am  not  so 
much  afraid  of  the  Naraka  thou  art  speaking  of,  nor  of  this  noose, 
nor  of  any  troubles  I  may  undergo,  nor  of  any  punishment  thou  may- 
est  inflict  on  me  as  I  am  afraid  of  doing  anything  for  which  good 


[     182     ] 

people  will  blame  me.  I  deem  this  punishment  an  act  of  favor — a 
favor  shewn  perhaps  out  of  consideration  for  my  grand-father  Prah- 
lada.  For  this  kingdom  only  maddened  me  with  power  and  made 
me  forget  my  end.  And  what  shall  1  do  with  this  body  too  ?  True 
thou  art  my  evnemy,  but  this  loss  of  kingdom  has  brought  me  nearer 
to  thee." 

Prahlada  appeared  at  this  time.  He  bowed  down  to  Vamana 
and  said  : — "  It  is  thou  that  didst  give  the  kingdom  of  Triloki  to  Bali 
and  it  is  thou  that  hast  taken  it  away  and  really  thou  hast  shewn 
him  a  favor  by  doing  so.  For  power  maddens  a  man  and  blinds  him 
as  to  his  real  self.  " 

Vindhyavali  said  : — "  O  Lord,  Thou  art  the  Creator,  the  Pre 
server,  and  the  Destroyer  of  Triloki.  Who  else  could  own  it  besides 
Thyself?  It  was  the  height  of  presumption  to  pretend  to  give  the 
Triloki  to  you."  Brahma  said  : — "  O  Deva  of  Devas,  all-pervading 
Lord,  thou  hast  taken  away  everything  from  this  Bali.  He  has  also 
given  himself  up  entirely  to  Thee,  without  being  moved  in  the  least. 
He  does  not  now  deserve  to  remain  tied  up." 

Bhagavan  said  : — "  O  Brahma,  I  take  away  all  his  riches  from 
him  whom  I  favor.  For  one  proud  of  riches  disregards  both  myself 
and  others.  When  after  many  births  the  Jiva  happens  to  become  a 
man,  and  when  in  that  birth  he  is  found  not  to  entertain  any  pride  of 
birth,  karma,  age,  beauty,  wisdom,  power,  wealth  and  other  things, 
you  should  know  that  to  be  my  favor.  One  constantly  devoted  to  me 
is  not  led  away  by  anything  apt  to  beget  pride. 

This  king  of  Danavas  and  Daityas  has  now  conquered  Maya. 
So  he  is  not  beside  himself  even  in  grief.  His  wealth  gone,  his  posi 
tion  lost,  himself  overpowered  and  chained  by  enemies,  forsaken  by 
friends,  reviled  and  cursed  by  his  own  preceptor,  and  what  not,  this 
Bali  did  not  give  up  Truth. 

I  will  give  him  a  place,  difficult  for  others  to  attain.  He  shall 
be  the  Indra  of  Savarni  Manvantara.  Till  then  let  him  reside  in 
Sutala.  By  my  wish,  the  dwellers  of  Sutala  shall  have  no  mental  or 
bodily  pain,  no  fatigue,  no  sleepiness,  no  defeat  and  no  misfortune. 
Bless  thee,  O  Maharaj,  go  to  Sutala  with  thy  clan.  Sutala  is  even 
wished  for  by  those  that  dwell  in  Svarga.  a  Even  the  Lokapaias  shall 
not  be  able  to  overpower  thee.  What  of  others  ?  If  any  Daitya  does 
not  follow  thee,  I  will  kill  him  by  my  Chakra.  By  all  means  I  will 


preserve  thee  and  thy  followers.  There  you  shall  always  find  me  at 
your  door.  Thy  Asura  nature  shall  be  there  entirely  destroyed 
under  my  influence." 

Prahlada  was   also  ordered  by  Bhagavan   to  accompany   Bali 
to  Sutala.     So  they  all  went  to  Sutala. 


THOUGHTS  ON  THE  ABOVE. 

We  now  find  Bali  shorn  of  all  materialism  and  restored  to 
spiritual  purity.  We  can  well  understand  the  removal  of  Bali  from 
the  kingdom  of  Triloki,  for  the  cyclic  movement  was  tending  that  way 
since  the  last  Manvantara,  and  the  Devas  were  to  have  supremacy 
over  Triloki.  We  have  to  study  the  future  of  Bali,  as  holding  further 
light  for  us. 

We  must  repeat  here  the  distinction  made  between  the  two 
Classes  of  Asuras :  Daityas  and  Danavas.  The  Daityas  trace  their 
origin  to  the  gate-keepers  of  Vishnu.  They  had  inherent  Satva  in 
them,  which  was  eclipsed  in  their  downfall.  Therefore,  though  they 
acted  as  materialistic  forces  following  the  cyclic  tendency,  they  were 
themselves  not  incapable  of  spiritual  development.  Thus  we  find  words 
of  wisdom  and  spirituality  in  Vritra,  in  Hiranyakasipu,  unselfish 
devotion  in  Prahlada,  and  complete  resignation  in  Bali.  Hirany^ksha 
and  Hiranyakasipu  went  back  to  their  old  place  in  Vaikuntha. 
Vritra  became  united  with  Sankarshana.  Prahlada  is  immortal  in 
his  unselfish  mission,  and  we  have  just  heard  the  future  of  Bali.  The 
Maruts  become  Devas  after  their  very  birth. 

Therefore  there  is  no  extinction  for  the  Asuras,  except  for 
those  that  do  not  follow  Bali  and  do  not  place  themselves  under 
the  influence  of  Vishnu.  The  cyclic  weapon  or  Chakra  is  ever  ready 
to  destroy  those  that  hopelessly  go  against  the  law. 

Now  a  word  about  Sutala.  The  arrangement  of  P^talas  as 
given  in  the  text  is  the  reverse  of  what  they  should  be  in  point  of 
spirituality,  for  Atala  is  the"  most  and  P^tala  the  least  removed  from 
spirituality. 

The  influeuce  of  Vishnu  does  not  extend  beyond  Sutala,  and 
nothing  can  save  those  that  transgress  the  limits  of  this  nether  plane. 
For  in  Vitala  the  destructive  Purusha  reigns  and  a  passage  to  that 
plane  is  only  a  door  to  utter  extinction.  And  in  Atala  there  is  not 
a  trace  of  spirituality,  the  work  of  destruction  is  already  done,  and 


[     i84    ] 

mother  Nature  dissolves  the  material  elements  for  some  better  use 
in  future. 

The  special  provision  for  Sutala  is  therefore  a  cyclic  necessity. 
For  Jivas  have  to  be  preserved  from  an  undesirable  end.  Therefore 
Bali  was  given  a  post,  the  proud  privilege  of  peeing  that  Jivas  do  not 
undergo  utter  extinction.  Sutala  was  also  fortified  with  an  accession 
of  spirituality. 

The  example  of  self-abnegation,  the  ideal  of  self-sacrifice,  Bali 
is  to  become  the  king  of  Devas  in  the  succeeding  Manvantara. 

THE  MATSYA  AVATARA. 
SKANDHA  VIII.    CHAP.  24. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  previous  Kalpa,  Brahma  was  falling 
asleep  and  the  Vedas  fell  from  his  mouth.  The  Asura  Hayagriva  took 
them  up.  Seeing  this  Vishnu  became  a  small  fish.  King  Satyavrata 
was  making  Tarpana  (  i.  e.  offering  libations  of  water),  when  the  fish 
found  its  way  into  his  hands.  He  threw  it  into  the  river.  The  fish 
implored  the  King  to  preserve  him.  So  he  took  it  home  and  placed 
it  in  a  small  waterpot.  The  fish  increased  in  size  so  much  that  all 
tanks  and  rivers  were  tried,  but  they  could  not  contain  it.  At  last 
the  king  took  the  fish  to  the  sea,  but  it  implored  him  not  to  throw  it 
away  into  the  sea.  The  king  then  said  : — "This  fish  must  be  the  Deity 
Himself,  otherwise  how  could  it  grow  so  large?"  The  fish  then  ad 
dressed  the  king  thus  : — "  On  the  seventh  day  from  this,  the  Trilokl 
shall  be  plunged  into  the  Pralaya  waters.  Then  a  big  Ark  shall  come 
to  thee.  Take  all  plants,  all  seeds,  all  animals,  and  the  seven  Rishis 
with  you  and  get  into  that  ark.  When  the  wind  shakes  that  ark,  tie 
it  with  a  serpent  to  myself.  I  will  remain  with  that  ark  in  the  Pra 
laya  Ocean  till  the  awakening  of  Brahma.  I  will  manifest  supreme 
wisdom  in  thee." 

So  saying  the  fish  disappeared  and  on  the  seventh  day  the 
Pralaya  waters  deluged  the  Triloki.  Satya  Vrata  did  as  he  was  told. 
He  got  the  highest  wisdom  from  the  Fish  Incarnation. 

That  Satya  Vrata  is  Sr^ddhadeva,  bur  present  Manu. 


t     185     1 
THE  VA1VASVATA  MANVANTARA, 

SUDYUMNA. 

SKANDIIA  IX.    CHAP.  i. 

SrAddhadeva  Manu  had  no  child  for  sometime.  Vasistha  per 
formed  a  sacrifice  in  honor  of  Mitra-varuna  that  he  migrit  obtain  pro 
geny.  Sraddha,  wife  of  the  Manu,  went  to  the  chief  priest  and  asked  for 
a  daughter.  So  Manu  had  a  daughter  named  I  la.  He  took  Vasistha 
to  task  for  having  had  a  daughter.  Vasistha  thought  the  priest  had 
done  something  wrong.  He  prayed  to  Bhagavan  for  the  change  of  Ila's 
sex.  So  I  la  became  a  male  named  Sudyumna  and  in  company  with 
others  went  on  horse  back  to  the  chase.  He  entered  a  forest  called 
Sukumara,  below  the  Meru,  which  is  the  play  ground  of  Siva  and  his 
consort.  He  and  his  companions  were  all  transformed  into  fe 
males,  for  such  is  the  mandate  of  Siva  for  those  that  enter  the  forest. 
In  this  changed  condition,  Sudyumna  with  his  female  companions 
went  to  Budha.  Budha  took  a  fancy  for  Sudyamna  and  had  by  her 
one  son  Pururavas. 

Vasistha  took  pity  on  Sudyumna  again  and  prayed  to  Siva  to 
change  his  sex.  By  the  favor  of  Siva,  Sudyumna  became  a  male  for 
one  month  and  a  female  for  another  month.  He  had  three  sons. 
Utkala,  Gaya  and  Vimala. 

IKSHVAKU  BROTHERS. 
SKANDIIA  IX.    CHAP.   2. 

Manu  prayed  to  Vishnu  for  one  hundred  years  for  other  sons. 
He  got  ten  sons  like  unto  himself.  Ikshvaku  was  the  eldest. 

Manu 

I 

Ikslivaki:  Nriga  Saryati  Dislita  Dlirishta  Karusha  Narishyanta  Prishadhra  Nabhaga  Kavi 

(8).     PRISHADHRA. 

While  residing  in  the  house  of  his  Guru,  Prishadhra  was 
placed  in  charge  of  cattle.  It  was  raining  one  night,  when  a  tiger 
entered  the  fold.  The  cattle  strayed  about  in  fear  and  bellowed 
aloud.  Prishadhra  ran  after  the  tiger.  The  night  was  dark.  He 
missed  his  aim  and  cut  off  the  head  of  the  cow,  which  the  tiger  had 
seized.  He  found  out  the  mistake  in  the  morning  and  informed  his 
Guru  about  it  The  Guru  said  : — "  You  shall  become  a  Sudra,  as 
the  fruit  of  your  Karma."  Prishadhra  accepted  the  curse.  He  be 
came  an  ascetic,  and  roamed  about  the  earth  as  the  friend  of  all 
beings.  Eventually  He  ended  his  life  in  fire. 
21 


(10).    KAVI. 
Kavi  attained  wisdom  in  his  youth.     He  did  not  marry, 

(6).    KARUSHA. 

The  sons^of  Karusha  were  the  Karushas,  a  race  of  pious  Ksha- 
triyas,  who  guarded  the  north. 

(5).    DHRISHTA.  - 

Dharshtas  were  the  sons  of  Dhrishta.    Though  born  as  Kshatri- 
yas,  they  became  Brahmanas  on  this  earth. 

(2).     NRIGA, 

Sumati 

I 
Bhutajyotf 

Vasu 

Pratika 

I 
Oghavat 


i 

Oghavat 

(7)     Narishyanta, 
Chitra  Sena 
Riksha 


•i 


Midhvat 

I 

Puma 

Indra  Sena 

Vitihotra 

Satya-Sravas 

Uru-Sravas 

I 
Devadatta 

Agnivesya 

(Incarnation  of  Agni 
also  known  as  Kanina 
and  Jatu-Karna) 

Agni  veshyayana 
Brahmanas, 


Oghavati 
m.  Sudarsana 

(4)     Dishta 

Nabh^ga  (became  a  Vaisya 
by  his  karma) 

Bhalandana 
Vatsapriti 

Pransu 

I 
Pramati 

i 

Khanitra 

Chakshusha 

I 
Vivinsati 

I 
Rambha 

Khaninetra  (very  pious) 
Karandhama 
Avikshit 

i 

Marutta. 


[    187    ] 

Sambarta,  Son  of  Angiras,  officiated  at  the  Yajna  performed 
by  Marutta,     The  Devas  took  direct  part  in  the  Yajna, 

Marutta 

i  > 

Danta 

Rajavardhana 
Sudhriti 
Nara 

i 

Kevala 
Dhundhumat 

i 

Vegavat 

I 
Budha 

I 
Trinabindu 

m.  Apsaras  AlamvushA 
—  * 

Visala          Stinyabandhu  DhOmraketu         Ilavila 

(founded  the  #/.     Rishi  Visravas 
town   named 

Vai^ali)  Kubera— the 

I  King  of  the 

Hema  Chandra  Yakshas. 

i 

DhOmraksha. 

I 
Sanyama 


I  I 

Devaja     Krisasva 

I 
Somadatta 

Sumati 

I 
Janamejaya. 


[     188     ] 

(3).     SARYATI. 

SKANDIIA  IX.  CHAP.  3. 

Saryaji  was  well  versed  in  the  Vedas.  He  had  one  daughter, 
Sukanya.  He  went  with  her  one  day  to  the  Asrama  of  Chyavana  Rishi. 
Sukanya  found  there  two  streaks  of  light  as  from  glow-worms, 
issuing  from  within  a  mound  of  earth,  thrown  up  by  white  ants.  She 
pricked  those  portions  with  a  thorn  and  blood  oozed  out.  The  party 
of  Saryati  found  that  their  usual  secretions  were  stopped.  The  king 
thought  some  one  had  offended  Chyavana.  The  girl  then  told  her 
story.  The  king  found  the  Rishi  underneath  the  mound  of  earth 
and  asked  his  pardon.  The  Rishi  wanted  the  hand  of  the  girl  in 
marriage  and  Saryati  consented.  So  Sukanya  became  the  wife  of 
Chyavana. 

One  day  the  Asvini  Kumaras  came  to  Chyavana.  The  Rishi 
asked  them  to  give  him  youth  and  beauty  and  promised  in  return  to 
give  them  offerings  of  Soma,  though  they  had  no  part  in  Soma 
Yagas.  The  Asvini  Kumaras  took  the  Rishi  inside  a  tank  and  all 
the  three  came  out  young  and  beautiful  and  looking  all  alike. 
Sukanya  could  not  recognise  her  husband  and  she  prayed  to  the 
Asvini  Kumaras  to  remove  her  confusion.  They  were  pleased  with 
her  chastity  and  pointed  out  her  husband. 

One  day  king  Saryati  came  and  found  his  daughter  sitting 
with  a  young  man.  He  reproved  Sukanya  for  her  supposed  unchas- 
trty.  The  girl  then  related  the  story  of  her  husband's  attaining  youth 
and  the  king  became  very  much  pleased. 

Chyavana  made  offerings  of  Soma  to  the  Asvini  Kumaras. 
This  offended  Indra.  He  held  up  the  Vajra  to  kill  Chyavana,  but 
the  son  of  Bhrigu  paralysed  the  hands  of  Indra.  From  that  time 
the  Devas  consented  to  give  a  share  in  Soma  fo  the  Asvini  Kumaras. 

SARYATI. 


Sukanya         Uttanavarhi  Anarta  Dhuri  Sena 

m.  Chyavana  I 

Revata 

(He  built  a  town  called  Kusasthali  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea  and  from  that  town 
ruled  Anarta  and  other  lands.) 


Kakudmin  99  other  Sons. 

i 

Revati 


Kakuclmin  took  his  daughter  Revati  with  him  and  went  to 
Brahma  loka  to  enquire  of  Brahma,  who  should  be  her  husband. 
The  Gandharvas  were  singing  at  the  time  and  Kakudmin  had  to  wait 
for  a  moment.  He  then  saluted  Brahma  and  made  the  enquiry. 
Brahma  laughed  and  said:  —  "  O  king,  the  men  of  your  choice  are 
dead  and  gone.  I  do  not  hear  even  of  their  sons  and  grandsons. 
Twenty  seven  yuga  cycles  have  now  passed  away.  Therefore  go 
back  to  thy  place  and  give  thy  daughter  to  Baladeva,  who  has  now 
incarnated  as  an  Ansa  (part)  of  Vishnu  for  the  good  of  BhCir-loka. 
And  so  the  king  did.  (The  Present  is  the  28th.  Yuga  cycle.  Bala 
deva  is  the  brother  of  Sri  Krishna.) 


(9)     NABHAGA. 
SKANDIIA  IX.  CHAPS.  4-6. 

Nabhaga  remained  long  with  his  Guru.  So  his  brothers 
thought  he  had  become  a  Brahma-charm.  They  reserved  no  share 
for  him  at  partition.  Nabhaga  at  last  returned  to  his  house  and 
asked  for  his  share  in  the  patrimony.  The  brothers  pointed  out 
their  father  Mann  as  his  share.  Nabhaga  asked  his  father  _  "  How 
is  it  my  brothers  have  reserved  thee  for  my  share?"  Manu  replied  :  _ 
"  Child,  do  not  believe  them.  The  clan  of  Angiras  are  performing 
Vajna.  They  get  confounded  on  every  sixth  day.  This  is  the  sixth 
day.  Give  them  two  Vaisvadeva  SOktas.  When  they  go  to  Svarga 
after  completion  of  their  Yajna  they  will  leave  all  their  sacrificial 
wealth  to  you."  Nabhaga  did  as  he  was  told.  The  Angirasas  left  all 
the  property  remaining  on  the  sacrificial  ground  to  Nabhaga.  As 
he  was  going  to  take  those  things,  a  dark  Furusha  appeared  from  the 
north  and  said.  "  These  are  mine," 

"  But  the  Rishis  have  given  them  to  me  "  said  Nabhaga. 

"  Go  to  your  father  then  and  ask  for  the  solution  "  said  the 
dark  Purusha. 

"  Yes,  the  remnants  of  a  Sacrifice  belong  to  Rudra  "  said 
Manu. 

Nabhaga  returned  and  said  "Yes  these  remnants  of  sacrifice 
all  belong  to  thee.  So  my  father  told  me  " 

"  I  am  pleased  with  thee  and  thy  father.  Both  of  you  have 
spoken  the  truth"  said  Rudra,  "  I  give  thee  supreme  wisdom.  I  also 
give  thee  these  remnants.  Take  them  now." 


[     190    } 
NABHAGA 

NABHAGA. 

I 

AMBARISHA 


King  Ambarisha  had  discrimination  and  dispassion.  His  devo 
tion  was  great.  His  mind  was  fixed  on  the  lotus  feet  of  Vishnu,  his  words 
were  all  about  the  glory  of  Vaikuntha,  .his  hands  were  engaged  in 
cleansing  the  temples  of  Vishnu,  his  ears  only  heard  about  the  glory 
and  the  works  of  Vishnu,  his  eyes  intently  looked  on  the  symbols 
of  Vishnu  wherever  found.  His  body  felt  pleasure  in  the  touch  of 
Vaishnavas,  his  nose  smelt  the  sweet  fragrance  of  Tulasi  proceeding 
from  the  feet  of  Vishnu,  his  tongue  tasted  only  food  offered  to  Vishnu, 
his  feet  traversed  the  places  sacred  to  Vishnu  and  his  head  was  devot 
ed  to  the  salutation  of  Vishnu.  If  he  enjoyed  things  of  this 
world,  it  was  for  service  to  Vishnu  and  not  for  the  sake  of  enjoyment. 
If  he  had  attachment,  it  was  only  for  those  that  were  devoted  to 
Vishnu.  The  fruits  of  his  action  he  offered  to  Him.  By  devotion 
and  by  the  unselfish  performance  of  duties  pertaining  to  his  sphere 
of  life  (Svadharma),  he  pleased  Bhagavan  and  by  degrees  he  gave 
up  all  desires.  Vishnu  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  King,  that  he 
gave  him  His  own  Chakra  for  protection. 

Ambarisha  with  his  wife  once  undertook  to  perform  Dvadasi 
Vrata  for  one  year.  (Dvadasi  is  the  twelfth  day  of  the  Moon.  The 
Vrata  consists  in  fasting  on  the  eleventh  day  of  the  Moon  and  in 
breaking  the  fast  on  the  I2th  day).  On  one  occasion  he  fasted  for  3 
consecutive  days.  He  bathed  himself  in  the  Yamuna  and  worship 
ped  Vishnu  at  Mathura.  He  gave  plenty  of  riches  and  cattle  to  the 
Brahmanas.  He  then  fed  the  Brahmanas  and  asked  their  permission 
to  eat  himself.  At  the  time  Durvasas  appeared  as  his  guest  The 
king  received  him  duly  and  requested  him  to  take  his  meals.  The 
Rishi  consented  and  went  to  bathe  himself  in  the  river  and  perform 
his  daily  rites.  The  king  waited  long  for  him  but  he  did  not  return. 
There  was  only  half  a  muhurta  now  remaining  of  Dvadasi.  If  the  king 
did  not  eat  any  thing,  his  Vrata  would  not  be  observed.  If  he  ate,  he 
would  shew  disregard  to  a  Brahmana.  At  this  juncture,  the  king 
decided  to  serve  both  ends  by  taking  a  little  water,  for  the  Brahmanas 
call  that  both  eating  and  non-eating.  Durvasas  came  back.  By 
spiritual  vision,  he  knew  what  had  happened  and  became  highly 
enraged.  He  tore  up  a  hair  tuft  and  charged  it  to  kill  Ambarisha. 
The  king  remained  unmoved.  The  chakra  of  Vishnu  consumed  the 


t  191  ] 

destructive  force  sent  by  Durvasas  and  went  even  to  destroy  him. 
The  Rishi  ran  in  every  direction.  The  Chakra  followed  him  wherever 
he  went.  He  went  to  Brahma  and  prayed  to  be  saved.  "  It  is  not  in 
my  power  to  save  thee  "  said  Brahma.  "  Thou  hast  offended  a  votary 
of  Vishnu."  He  went  to  Siva.  "  Child  "  said  Siva  "  thfs  weapon  of 
Vishnu  is  too  much  for*  me  even.  Go  thou  to  Vishnu."  Durvasas 
went  to  Vishnu  and  prayed  to  be  pardoned  and  saved.  Said  Vishnu: — 
11  O  Brahmana,  I  am  dependent  on  my  Bhaktas.  I  am  not  free.  My 
heart  is  in  the  possession  of  my  Bhaktas.  I  am  dear  to  them.  With 
out  these  my  Bhaktas  I  do  not  even  want  myself,  nor  my  abso 
lute  powers,  for  I  am  their  sole  and  supreme  resort.  They  for 
sake  their  wives,  homes,  children  and  wealth  for  my  sake.  How  can 
I  forsake  them.  Their  heart  is  chained  to  me.  They  look  on  all 
with  equal  eyes.  By  devotion  they  win  me  even  as  chaste  wives  win 
their  husbands.  My  service  is  all  in  all  to  them.  They  do  not  even 
desire  the  four  Muktis,  Salokya  and  others,  though  these  come  within 
their  easy  reach.  What  perishable  objects  can  they  have  desire  for  ? 
The  Sadhus  are  my  heart.  I  am  the  heart  of  the  Sadhus.  They  do 
not  know  any  one  besides  me  nor  do  I  know  any  one  besides  them, 
O  Brahmana,  hear  what  is  thy  only  remedy.  Without  delay  go  to 
him  who  has  caused  this  fear  in  thee.  When  force  is  used  against 
Sadhus,  it  reacts  on  him  who  uses  the  force.  True  asceticism  and 
wisdom  are  both  for  the  salvation  of  the  Brahmanas.  But  in  one 
untrained,  they  produce  the  contrary  effect.  Therefore  go  thou  to 
the  son  of  Nabhaga.  Beg  his  pardon  and  thou  shalt  be  saved." 
Durvasas  went  back  to  Ambarisha  and  touched  the  feet  of  the  king. 
Ambarisha  became  non-plussed  at  this  act  of  a  Brahmana  and  knowing 
the  object  of  the  Rishi,  he  prayed  to  the  Chakra  to  desist  from  its 
course  and  to  save  the  Brahmana.  The  Chakra  had  just  commenced 
its  work  of  destruction,  but  it  withdrew  its  energies  upon  the  prayer 
of  Ambarisha.  Durvasas  was  extremely  thankful  and  he  thus 
praised  the  king.  "  I  see  this  day  the  greatness  of  Vaishnavas,  O 
king.  Thou  didst  pray  for  my  welfare,  though  I  had  offended  thee. 
There  is  nothing  strange  for  those' that  have  conquered  Vishnu  Him 
self.  Thou  hast  been  very  kind  to  me.  Thou  hast  favored  me  much. 
Thou  didst  not  even  think  of  my  offence,  but  thou  hast  saved  my 
life."  The  king  had  waited  for  Durvasas  all  this  time.  He  now  fell 
at  the  feet  of  the  Rishi  and  requested  him  to  take  his  meals.  The 
Rishi  gladly  did  so,  and  also  made  the  king  take  his  food. 

Durvasas  then  went  to  Brahma  Loka.  He  did  not  return  for 
one  year  and  the  King  lived  upon  water  only  all  this  time,  being  so 
anxious  to  see  the  Rishi  back.  Such  is  the  holy  story  of  Arabarisha. 


t  192  ] 

Ambarisha 


i  i  I 

Virupa  Ketumat  Sambhu 

I         v 

Prishadasva 

I 
RathHara 

Rathitara  had  no  children.  At  his  request  Rishi  Angiras  pro 
duced  certain  sons  by  his  wife.  They  were  known  both  as  Rathitaras 
and  Angirasas. 

[Durvasas  had  cursed  Indra,  and  Indra  lost  all  power.  But 
after  the  great  churning,  times  were  changed.  The  divine  law 
favoured  the  Devas  and  the  worshippers  of  Vishnu.  Those  who 
assumed  a  power,  independently  of  Vishnu,  were  sure  to  find  dis 
appointment,  however  eminent  their  position  might  be.] 


(i)     IKSHVAKU. 
SKANDHA  IX.  CHAPS.  6-13. 

Ikshvaku  was  born  out  of  the  nostrils  of  Manu  when  sneezing. 
He  had  one  hundred  sons.  Vikukshi,  Nimi,  and  Dandaka  were  the 
eldest  born.  Twenty  five  of  them  ruled  on  the  east  of  Aryavarta, 
twenty  five  on  the  west  and  twenty  five  in  the  middle.  The  others 
ruled  else  where.  For  the  performance  of  Ashtaka  Sracldha,  Ikshva 
ku  once  ordered  Vikukshi  to  get  some  good  flesh.  Vikukshi  had  a 
bagful  of  good  game.  But  he  was  hungry  and  ate  one  rabbit  out  of 
his  store. 

Vasishtha  found  fault  with  this  and  Ikshvaku  had  to  reject  the 
whole  of  the  game.  The  King  became  angry  at  this  and  he  expelled 
his  son  from  the  kingdom.  When  Ikshvaku  died,  Vikukshi  returned. 
He  succeeded  his  father  as  king  and  was  known  as  Sas*ada  or  Rabbit- 
eater.  Puranjaya  was  the  son  of  SaSada.  He  was  also  called  Indra- 
vaha  and  Kakutstha.  The  Devas  had  a  fight  with  the  Asuras  and 
Indra  asked  for  the  help  of  Puranjaya.  Puranjaya  wanted  Indra 
to  be  his  carrier,  and  the  King  of  the  Devas  became  a  bull.  Puran 
jaya  ascended  the  bull  on  its  hump.  He  is  therefore  called  Indra- 
vaha  or  Indra-vehicled  and  Kakutstha  or  the  mounter  on  the  hump. 
He  defeated  the  Asuras. 


t  193  ] 

Ikshvaku 


I  !  I 

Vikukshi  Nimi  98  other  sons 

(SaSAda) 

Puranj-aya 
(Indra  vahu 

Kakutstha) 

I 
Anena 

Prithu 

Visvagandhi 

Chandra 

i 

Yuyana'sva 
Srdvasta 

(He  built  the  town  Sravasti) 
Brihadasva 
Kuvalayasva 

(DhundhumSra,; 

With  his  21  thousand  sons,  Kuvalayasva  killed  an  Asura  called 
Dhundhu,  for  the  good  of  Rishi  Utanka.  But  the  Asura  killed  all 
his  sons,  except  three,  with  fire  from  his  mouth.  Those  three  were 
Dridhasva,  Kapilasva  and  Bhadrasva. 

Kuvalayasva  or  Dhundhumara. 
| 

I  I  "~F 

Dridhasva.  Kapilasva,  Bhadrasva, 

Haryasva 

Nikumbha 

Bahulasva 

Krisasva 

I 
Senajit 

Yuvanasva, 
25 


[     *94    1 

Yuvan^sva  had  no  son.  So  the  Rishis  performed  a  sacrifice 
directed  to  Indra.  One  night  Yuvanasva  became  very  thirsty  and 
entered  the  Yajna  house.  He  found  all  the  Rishis  sleeping  at  the 
time.  He  thought  it  improper  to  rouse  the  Rishis  and  drank  what 
ever  water  he  found  near  at  hand.  By  chance  that  happened  to  be 
the  consecrated  water  with  the  power  of  producing  a  son.  When  the 
Rishis  rose  up  they  did  not  find  the  water.  On  enquiry,  when  they 
knew  what  had  happened,  every  one  wondered  what  the  outcome 
would  be.  In  time  the  king  brought  forth  a  son  from  his  right  side. 
The  little  thing  cried  out  for  milk.  Indra  said  "  Do  not  weep,  child, 
you  shall  drink  wine  (" Man  Dhdtd")"  So  saying  he  offered  the 
child  his  fore  finger.  From  this,  the  child  was  called  M^ndhata. 
Yuvanasva,  by  the  blessing  of  the  Rishis,  did  not  meet  with  death  at 
delivery.  Mandhat£  was  a  very  powerful  king.  The  thieves  dreaded 
him  much.  He  performed  many  sacrifices  and  made  many  gifts. 
He  married  Indumati,  daughter  of  Sasabindu.  He  had  three  sons 
Purukutsa,  Ambarisha,  and  the  Yogin  Muchukunda.  He  had  also 
fifty  daughters. 

Rishi  Soubhari  made  Tapas  in  the  "waters  of  the  Yamuna.  One 
day  he  saw  the  pairing  of  a  couple  of  fish  and  became  excited.  He 
requested  king  Mandhata  to  give  him  one  daughter  in  marriage.  The 
king  said  :  "  By  Svayamvara,  you  may  get  my  daughter  "  (i.  e.  the  girl 
must  choose  her  own  husband  from  amongst  a  number  of  men  offer 
ing  themselves  as  husbands.)  The  Rishi  thought  because  he  was  old 
and  decrepit  therefore  the  king  wanted  to  put  him  off.  So  Soubhari 
by  yogic  powers  became  young  and  beautiful.  All  the  fifty  daughters 
then  accepted  him  for  their  husband.  The  Rishi  prepared  for  himself 
all  the  enjoyments  of  life  and  passed  his  days  in  company  with  his  50 
wives.  He  then  became  disgusted  with  this  sensual  life  and  after 
wards  attained  Moksha  with  his  wives. 

Yuvanasva  adopted  his  grand  son  Ambarisha.  Ambarisha  had 
one  son  Youvanasva.  His  son  was  Harita.  These  three,  Amba 
risha,  Youvanasva  and  Harita  were  the  founders  of  the  chief  clans  of 
the  Mandhata  Dynasty. 

The  elemental  serpents  gave  their  sister  Narmodci  in  marriage 
to  Purukutsa.  Purukutsa  accompanied  Narmoda  to  Rasatala  at  the 
request  of  Vasuki.  There  he  killed  such  Gandharvas  as  deserved  to 
be  killed.  Those  who  remember  this  story  have  no  fear  from  ser 
pents.  Such  was  the  blessing  of  the  elemental  serpents, 


[     195    ] 
Yuvanasva 

i 

Mandhata 


I  ,1 

Purukuta  Ambarisha  Muchukunda 

m.  Narmoda         (ad9pted  by  Yuvanasva)  (Yogin) 

I  I 

Trasadasya         Youvanasva 

|  |. 

Anaranya  Harita 

I 

Horyasva 
Praruna 

i 

Tribandhana 

Satyavrata  or  Tri  Sanku 

Tri  Sanku  became  a  Chandala  by  the  curse  of  his  father.  Risht 
Visvamitra  lifted  him  up  to  Svarga  in  his  own  mortal  body.  Tri 
Sanku  is  still  visible  in  the  heavens.  The  devas  turned  him  with  his 
head  downwards  and  attempted  to  throw  him  down.  Visvamitra 
by  his  power  has  retained  him  there. 

[  Tri  Sanku  is  a  constellation  in  the  southern  hemisphere.] 
Tri  Sanku 

I 
Haris  Chandra 

Haris  Chandra  had  at  first  no  issue.  He  prayed  to  Varuna 
for  a  son,  promising  to  offer  him  as  a  sacrifice  to  the  Water-god  The 
king  had  a  son  named  Rohita  (Red).  Varuna  asked  for  his  victim, 
Ten  days  passed  away.  "  Without  teething  the  child  will  not  be  pure." 
There  was  teething.  "  When  these  milk  teeth  fall  away,  then  will 
be  the  time."  The  milk  teeth  fell  off.  "  Let  other  teeth  grow."  Other 
teeth  did  grow.  "  But  he  is  a  Kshatriya  boy.  He  can  be  pure  only 
when  he  is  fit  to  put  his  armour  on." 

The  king  put  off  Varuna  from  time  to  time  in  this  way,  out 
of  affection  for  his  son.  Rohita  came  to  know  of  his  father's  promise. 
To  save  himself,  he  took  a  bow  and  went  to  the  forest.  There  he 
learned  that  his  father  had  an  attack  of  dropsy,  the  disease  caused 
by  Varuna.  So  he  prepared  himself  to  go  back,  but  Indra  pre 
vented  him  by  persuasive  words.  He  was  put  back  from  year  to  year 
by  Indra,  till  his  6th.  year.  He  then  made  his  way  to  the  king.  He 
purchased  from  Ajlgarta  his  second  son  Sunahsepha.  He  saluted 
his  father  and  offered  the  child.  King  Haris  Chandra  appeased 
Varuna  by  human  sacrifice  and  got  rid  of  his  dropsy.  In  that  sacri- 


[    196    I 

fice,  Visvamitra  was  the  H5ta,  Jamadagni  was  the  Adhvaryu,  Vasistha 
Brahmci  and  Ay^sya  was  the  Udgata.  Indra  being  pleased  gave 
a  golden  chariot  to  the  king.  Visvamitra  taught  Atma  Vidya  to 
Haris  Chandra  and  he  attained  liberation. 

[The  story  of  Haris  Chandra  in  this  Purana  follows  the  vedic 
version.  The  gist  of  the  story  is  that  in  the  course  of  further  evo 
lution  the  Devas  were  to  be  propitiated  by  human  sacrifice.  But 
this  sacrifice  did  not  mean  killing.  It  was  the  complete  offering 
of  oneself  up. to  the  service  of  the  gods.  The  mission  of  the  human 
victim  is  to  constantly  work  for  the  good  of  the  Universe  and  to 
extinguish  his  own  personality.  Sunah  s*epha  was  not  killed  in  the 
sacrifice.  He  was  offered  up  to  the  service  of  the  gods.  After  the 
sacrifice,  he  was  called  Devarata  i.  e.  one  offered  to  the  Devas.  Visva 
mitra  adopted  Devarata  as  his  own  son  and  he  asked  his  hundred 
sons  to  accept  him  as  their  eldest  brother.  He  disowned  those  sons 
that  did  not  obey  him  (Bhagavata  IX- 16).  Therefore  Visvamitra 
took  the  principal  part  in  this  sacrifice  and  not  Vasistha,  though  he 
was  the  family  preceptor.] 

»_ 

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His  enemies  dispossesed  Bahuka  of  his  kingdom.  He  went 
to  the  forest  accompanied  by  his  wives.  When  he  died,  the  eldest 
queen  prepared  herself  for  death  also.  Rishi  Aurva  knew  her  to  be. 
big  with  child,  and  dissuaded  her  from  accompanying  her  husband  on 
to  the  funeral  pyre.  The  co-wives  of  the  queen,  out  of  jealousy,  gave 
her  poison.  The  child  was  born  with  this  poison,  therefore  he  was 
called  Sagara  (Sa  =  with,  gara  =  poison.)  Sagara  became  a  great  king. 
The  Seas  were  dug  by  his  sons.  He  was  prevented  by  Rishi  Aurva 
from  taking  the  lives  of  the  Talajanghas,  Yavanas,  Sakas,  Haihayas, 
and  Barbars.  But  he  made  them  change  their  outward  look.  He 
performed  an  Asvamedha  sacrifice  as  advised  by  Aurva  and  Indra 
stole  the  sacrificial  horse. 

Sagara  had  two  wives  Sumati  and  Kesini.  The  60  thousand 
sons  of  Sumati  searched  for  the  horse  on  all  sides.  They  dug  the 
earth's  surface  and  made  the  Seas.  They  found  the  horse  near 
Kapila.  They  took  him  to  be  the  stealer  of  the  horse  and  abused 
him.  For  this  they  were  all  burnt  up. 


[     197    ] 


Kesini  had  one  son  Asamanjas  by  Sagara.  Angumat  was  son 
of  Asamanjas.  He  was  attached  to  his  grandfather  Sagara.  Asa 
manjas  was  a  Yogin  in  his  former  birth.  He  therefore  wanted  to 
avoid  company  by  means  of  provoking  acts.  He  threw  down  some 
children  into  the  Saraju.  His  father  Sagara  was  thus 'compelled  to 
forsake  him.  By  Yogic  powers,  be  brought  back  the  children  thrown 
into  the  Saraju,  and  left  his  father  for  ever. 

Ansumat  was  also  sent  by  Sagara  to  search  for  the  horse.  He 
found  the  horse  and  a  heap  of  ashes  near  Kapila.  He  saluted  Kapila 
and  glorified  him.  The  Avatara  was  pleased.  He  permitted  Ansumat 
to  take  away  the  horse.  He  also  informed  him  that  his  burnt-up 
Pitris  could  only  he  saved  by  the  water  of  the  Ganga. 

Sagara  completed  the  sacrifice  with  the  horse.  He  made  over 
the  kingdom  to  Ansumat  and  attained  Mukti. 

Ansumat  made  Tapas  for  the  downward  flow  of  Ganga  but 
without  success.  He  was  followed  by  his  son  Dilipa.  He  also  did 
not  succeed.  Bhagiratha  was  the  son  of  Dilipa.  He  prayed  hard 
and  Ganga  appeared  in  person  before  him.  "  Child,  I  am  pleased  with 
thee.  What  boon  do  you  ask  for"?  Bhagiratha  told  her  what  he 
prayed  for.  "But  who  shall  arrest  my  course,  when  I  fall  down.  If 
not  arrested  I  will  pierce  the  earth  and  reach  Rasatala.  Again  if  I 
pass  over  earth,  men  will  wash  away  their  sins  in  my  waters.  Where 
shall  I  wash  away  those  sins,  O  King  ?  Therefore  do  thou  ponder  well 
what  to  do."  Said  Bhagiratha : — "  The  touch  of  Sadhus  shall  take 
away  thy  sins.  For  Vishnu,  the  destroyer  of  sins,  remains  in  them. 
Thy  downward  course  shall  be  arrested  by  Rudra."  Siva  was  pleased 
by  the  prayer  of  Bhagiratha,  and  he  consented  to  hold  Ganga. 

Ganga  came  rushing  down  and  she  was  taken  by  Bhagiratha 
to  where  the  ashes  of  his  Pitris  lay.  The  very  touch  of  her  waters 
purified  the  sons  of  Sagara  and  they  went  to  Svarga. 


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[     198    ] 

Once  there  lived  two  Rakshasas.  Soudasa  killed  one  and  did 
not  kill  the  other.  The  surviving  Rakshasa,  bent  on  taking  revenge, 
entered  the  service  of  Soudasa  as  a  cook.  When  the  king  entertain 
ed  Vasistha,  he  gave  him  human  flesh  to  eat.  The  Rishi  became 
angry  and  caused  Soudasa  to  become  a  Rakshasa.  When  he  learned 
however  it  was  the  doing  of  a  Rakshasa,  *he  reduced  the  king's 
Rakshasa  life  to  12  years.  The  king  also  held  out  water  for  the  ex 
ecration  of  Vasistha.  His  queen  prevented  him.  So  he  threw  the 
water  at  his  own  feet.  His  feet  became  black  with  sin.  While  living 
as  a  Rakshasa,  the  king  saw  a  Brahmana  and  his  wife  in  their  privacy, 
and  he  attacked  the  Brahmana.  The  wife  reminded  the  king  of  his 
former  birth  and  requested  him  not  to  deprive  her  of  her  husband  at 
the  time  of  enjoyment.  The  king  heeded  not  her  words  but  devoured 
the  Brahmana.  The  Brahmana  woman  cursed  Soudasa  so  that  he 
should  meet  with  death  whenever  he  had  female  connection.  On 
the  expiry  of  12  years,  Soudasa  reverted  to  his  former  birth,  but  for 
fear  of  the  curse  he  had  no  connection  with  women.  Vasistha  at  the 
request  of  Soudasa  produced  a  son  by  his  wife,  Madayanti.  The 
conception  lingered  for  7  years.  Vasistha  struck  the  womb  with  a 
stone  (Asman)  and  the  son  was  hence  called  As*maka.  The  son  of 
ASmaka  was  Balika.  He  was  the  surviving  kshatriya,  after  the  ex 
tirpation  of  that  caste  by  Parasurama.  Hence  he  was  called  Mulaka 
also  (the  root  of  a  race). 

Soudasa 

i 

As*maka 

i 

Balika  or  Mftlaka 

I 

Das*aratha 

Aidavidi 

Visvasaha 

Khatvanga 


Khatvanga  was  a  very  powerful  king.  He  killed  Daityas  as 
a  friend  of  the  Devas.  The  Devas  offered  him  a  boon.  The  king 
wanted  to  know  how  much  longer  he  was  to  live.  Learning  it  was  a 
Muhurta  only,  he  returned  forthwith  to  his  place  and  concentrated 
his  mind  on  BhagavAn.  He  attained  Mukti. 


t     '99    ] 

Khatvanga 

Dirgha-bahu 

i 

Raghu 

Aja 

I 
Das*aratha 


RAMA 


I 
Lakshmana 


i 

Bharata 


Satrughna 


(The  story  of  Rama  as  told  in  the  Ramayana  is  widely  and 
universally  known.  It  is  therefore  unnecessary  to  repeat  that  story 
from  the  Bhagavata  Purana.) 


DaSaratha 
1 

RAMA 
1 

Lakshmana                    Bharata 

i                  i 

Satrughna 
1 

1            1 
Kusa  Lava 

i 

i          i        i          i 

Angada  Chitraketu     Taksha  Fushkala 

1                I 
Subahu  Sruta 
sena. 

,ti         X 


I 

a  >    g 

•c       ?       rt 


matured  in  Yoga.     He  now  Besides  at  Kalapa. 
Towards  the  end  of  Kaliyuga  he  shall  restore  the  Solar  dynasty, 


Maru 

i 

Prasusruta 
Sandhi 

i 

Amarshana 

i 

Mahasvat 
Visvabahu 

Prasenajit 

I 
Takshaka 

I 
Brihadbala,  killed  at 

the  battle  of  Ku- 
rukshetra  by 
Abhimanyu 

(Time  of  Parikshit) 

Brihat-rana 

I 
Vatsa-vriddha 

Sumitra  shall,  be 
Kali  Yuga. 


[     200    ] 
Vatsa-Vriddha 

! 

Prativyoma 
Bhanu 
Divaka 
Sahadeva 
Brihadasva 
Bhanumat 

i 

Pratikasva 

Supratika 

Marudeva 

i 

Sunakshatra 

i 

Pushkara 

i 

Antariksha 
Sutapas 
the  last   of  the 


Sutapas 

i 

Amitrajit 
Brihadrai 

Barhi 

I 
Kritanjaya 

Rananjaya 
San  jay  a 


Ikshvaku   dynasty   in   this 


Nimi  was  the  second  son  of  Ikshvaku.  He  asked  Vasistha  to 
officiate  at  his  Yajna.  But  the  Rishi  had  been  pre-engaged  with 
Indra.  So  he  asked  the  king  to  wait  tile  he  came  back.  Considering 
the  uncertainty,  Nimi  did  not  wait  for  his  family  Purohita.  But  en 
gaged  another  priest.  Vasistha  on  returning  became  offended  and 
cursed  Nimi  with  the  loss  of  his  body.  Nimi  gave  the  same  curse  to 
Vasistha.  So  both  gave  up  their  bodies.  Vasistha  was  reborn  shortly 
after  as  the  son  of  Mitravaruna  by  Urvasi.  The  Rishis  picked  up  the 
body  of  Nimi  and  placed  it  with  the  scented  things  of  Yajna.  On 
the  completion  of  the  Yajna,  the  Rishis  prayed  to  the  Devas  for  the 
vivification  of  the  body.  But  Nimi  said  from  within  the  scented 
things  that  he  did  not  want  to  be  encumbered  with  the  body  any 
more.  The  Devas  said  :  "  Then  remain  in  the  eyes  of  all  beings  as 
winking."  So  Nfcni  remains  in  the  twinkling  of  eyes. 

The  Rishis  churned  the  body  of  Nimi  and  a  son  was  born. 
He  was  called  Janaka.  As  he  was  born,  when  his  father  was  bodiless 
(videha)  he  was  also  called  Vaideha.  The  churning  also  gave  him  the 


t      201      ] 


.name   of   Mithila    (Manth  =  to  churn).     He  built  the  town    Mithila. 
(Mithila  is  the  modern  Tirhut), 


NIMI 

I 
Janaka 

Udavasu 
Nandivardhana 

Suketu 

I 
Devarata 

Brihadratha 

I 
Mahavirya 

Sudhriti 

Dhrishtaketu 

I 
Haryasva 

Maru 


Maru 

i 

Pratipa 

Kritaratha 

i 

Devamirha 

I 
Visruta 

Mahadhriti 

Kritirata 

I 
Maharoman  (large-haired) 

Svarnaroman  (gold-haired) 
Hrasvaroman  (short-haired) 
Sira-Dhvaja 


While  ploughing  the  ground  for  sacrifice,  Sira-Dhvaja  got 
Sita  at  the  end  of  the  plough.  Therefore  Sira  (plough)  being  his 
Dhvaja  (flag,  proclaimer  ot  fame),  he  was  called  Sira  Dhvaja. 

(This  Sira-Dhvaja  is  the  renowned  Janaka  of  Ramayana.) 


Sira-Dhvaja 

i 

Kusa-Dhvaja 

I 
Dharma-Dhvaja 

I 


Krita-Dhvaja 
Kesi-Dhvaja 


Mita-Dhvaja 
Khandikya 


Kesi   Dhvaja   was   versed   in    Atma-vidya.      Khandikya   was 
versed  in  Vedic  Karma,     Kesi  Dhvaja  overpowered   Khandikya  and 
he  fled  away. 
26 


Kesi-Dhvaja 

i 

Bhanumat 
Sata-dyumna 

Suchi 

I 

Sanadvaja 


{      202      ] 

Upa- 


U pa-guru 

gupta.  (incarnation  of  Agni) 
Vasvananta 

i 

Yuyudha 

I  \ 

Subhashana 

Sruta 

I 
Jaya 


Urja-ketu 

i 

Purujit 

i 

Arishta  nemi 

Srutayu 

Suparsva 

Chitraratha 

Kshemadhi 

Samaratha 

Satyaratha 

I 
Upa-guru 

These  kings  of  Mithila  were  well  versed  in  Atma-vidya. 


Vijaya 

I 
Rita 

Sunaka 

i 

Vitahavya 

I 
Dhriti 

Bahulasva 
Kriti 


THE  LUNAR  DYNASTY. 
SKANDHA  IX.    CHAP.  14. 

Soma  (the  Moon)  was  born  out  of  the  eyes  of  Atri.  He  carri 
ed  off  Tara,  the  wife  of  Brihaspati  (Jupiter).  Brihaspati  asked  for 
his  wife  several  times,  but  Soma  would  not  give  her  up.  Sukra  (Venus) 
was  not  on  good  terms  with  Brihaspati.  So  he  took  the  side  of  Soma, 
with  his  disciples,  the  Asuras.  Siva  with  his  Bhfltas  took  the  side  of 
Brihaspati.  Indra  with  the  Devas  also  sided  with  their  preceptor. 
The  two  parties  engaged  in  fight.  After  some  days  of  fight,  Angiras 
informed  Brahma  about  every  thing  that  transpired.  Brahma  re 
proached  Soma.  So  he  returned  Tara  to  Brihaspati.  Brihaspati 
found  that  Tara  had  conceived.  "  Immediately  throw  out  the  seed  of 
another  man  in  my  field,"  cried  he.  Tara  feeling  bashful  brought 
forth  at  the  time  a  lustrous  son,  Both  Brihaspati  and  Soma  desired 


t 

to  have  the  son,  each  saying  "it  is  mine  not  yours."  When  they 
quarrelled  with  each  other,  the  Devas  and  Rishis  asked  Tara  who  was 
the  father  of  the  child.  The  child  reproved  his  mother  for  the  delay 
in  answering.  Brahma  took  Tara  aside  and  learned  from  her  that 
Soma  was  the  father  of  the  son,  Soma  then  took  the  child.  Brahma 
seeing  the  deep  wisdom  Of  the  child  named  him  Budha  (Mercury). 

Budha  had  by  I  la  one  son  Pururavas,  Narada  related  his 
beauty  and  his  virtues  to  the  Devas  in  Svarga.  Urvasi  heard  all  that 
and  took  a  fancy  for  the  king.  By  the  curse  of  Mitra  Varuna,  she 
had  then  a  human  form.  Both  the  king  and  the  Apsaras  became 
attached  to  each  other  and  they  lived  as  husband  and  wife.  But 
Urvasi  laid  down  two  conditions  of  her  company  with  the  king — (i) 
that  the  king  was  to  preserve  two  rams,  which  the  Apsaras  had 
brought  with  her  and  (2)  that  the  king  was  never  to  expose  himself 
before  her  except  in  privacy.  Indra  sent  the  Gandharvas  in  search  of 
Urvasi.  They  found  her  out  and  took  away  her  two  rams.  She  had 
a  maternal  affection  for  these  animals  and  she  cried  out  in  despair. 
The  king  hurriedly  took  his  arms  and  ran  after  the  Gandharvas. 
They  left  the  rams  and  fled  away.  The  king  brought  them  back. 
But  in  the  hurry,  he  had  forgot  to  cover  himself  and  Urvasi  left  him. 
The  king  became  disconsolate,  and  roamed  dbout  in  search  of  her. 
After  some  days  he  found  her  on  the  banks  of  the  Sarasvati  with  her 
5  companions.  He  entreated  her  to  come  back.  She  promised  to 
give  her  company  to  the  king  one  night  every  year  and  informed  him 
of  her  delicate  state  of  health. 

Urvasi  came  after  a  year,  with  one  son.  She  advised  the  king 
to  entreat  the  Gandharvas  for  her  hands.  The  king  did  so  and  the 
Gandharvas  became  pleased  with  him.  They  gave  him  one  Agni- 
sthali  (pot  of  fire).  The  king  took  the  Agnisthali  to  be  Urvasi  and 
roamed  with  it  in  the  forest  (The  Gandharvas  gave  him  the  fire  for 
the  performance  of  sacrifice  necessary  for  the  attainment  of  Urvasi). 
The  king  found  out  his  mistake  at  last.  He  then  placed  the  fire  in  the 
forest,  went  home  and  meditated  every  night  on  Urvasi.  On  the  ap 
proach  of  Treta,  he  was  inspired  with  the  three  Vedas  (Karma-k^nda). 
He  then  went  to  the  place  of  fire  and  found  there  one  Asvatha  tree  (the 
sacred  fig)  grown  from  inside  a  Sami  tree  (Sami  is  the  name  of  a  tree 
said  to  contain  fire).  He  decided  that  the  fire  must  be  within  the 
Asvatha  tree.  He  took  two  pieces  of  wood  (technically  called 
Arani)  from  that  tree  and  produced  fire  by  their  friction.  He- deemed 
one  piece  to  be  Urvasi  and  another  piece  to  be  himself  and  the  space 
between  the  two  pieces  to  be  his  son.  By  friction,  the  fire  called  Jata- 
vedas  came  out  ( Vedas  is  wealth,  enjoyments  in  general.  Jdta  is 


[      204      ] 

grown.  Jata-vedas  is  that  fire  from  which  enjoyments  proceed  that 
which  gratifies  all  sense-desires.  It  is  the  chief  fire  of  the  Karma- 
kanda  of  the  Vedas).  By  the  invocation  of  the  three  vedas,  that  fire 
became  three  fold.  (Ahavaniya,  Garhapatya,  and  Dakshina  are  the 
three  fires  perpetually  kept  in  the  household.  Ahavaniya  is  the 
eastern  fire  which  represents  the  relations  of  the  house  holder  with  the 
Devas.  Garhapatya  is  the  sacred  fire  which  the  householder  receives 
from  his  father  and  transmits  to  his  descendants  and  from  which  fires 
for  sacrificial  purposes  are  lighted.  It  represents  household  and 
family  duties.  Dakhina  is  the  southern  fire.  It  represents  all  classes 
of  duty  to  the  Pitris).  The  king  imagined  this  threefold  fire  to  be 
his  son  (The  son  by  his  offerings  sends  his  father's  soul  to  Svarga. 
The  sacrificial  fire  also  sends  the  performer  to  Svarga).  With  that 
fire,  he  performed  Yajna  desiring  to  reach  the  Loka  (plane)  of 
Urvasi.  Prior  to  this  in  Satya  Yuga,  Pranava  was  the  only  Veda, 
Narayana  was  the  only  Deva,  there  was  only  one  fire  and  only  one 
caste.  The  three  Vedas  came  only  from  Pururavas,  at  the  beginning 
of  Treta  Yuga.  The  king  attained  Gandharva  Loka  by  means  of 
the  fire.  (In  Satya  Yuga,  Satva  generally  prevailed  in  men.  There 
fore  they  were  all  fixed  in  meditation.  But  in  Treta  Yuga,  Rajas 
prevailed  and  by  the  division  of  the  Vedas,  Karma  M^rga  made 
its  appearance.  SridharaJ) 

[  The  true  history  of  the  origin  of  the  three  Vedas  is  thus 
given  in  veiled  words.  They  originated  in  the  strong  desire  of  men 
in  Treta  Yuga  for  the  possession  of  heavenly  things.  This  gives  us 
about  two  millions  of  years  at  the  present  day.  The  origin  of  the 
Vedas  must  not  be  confounded  however  with  their  existence  in  the 
present  form.  For  that  we  must  refer  to  the  sacrifice  of  Haris 
Chandra,  the  adoption  of  Sunah  sepha  by  yisvamitra  and  the  division 
amongst  the  Madhu  Chandas  brothers.] 

Pururavas 
;;/.  Urvasi 

i 

,   '  !  Ill 

Ayus     Srutayus      Satyayus  •    Raya        Vijaya      Jaya 

i  I  I         I         I 

Vasumat     Srutanjaya     Eka      Bhima      Amita 

Kanchana 

i 

Hotraka 


[     205     I 

Hotraka 


Jahnu    (He  swallowed  up  the 
Ganga  in  her  downward 
course  and,  let  her   out 
though  his^  thighs. 
Puru 

Balaka 
Ajaka 
Kusa 


I  I  I  I 

Kusambu        Tanaya  Vasu  Kusanabha 

Gadhi 

Satyavati 

Rishi  Richika  asked  for  the  hand  of  Satyavati.  Gadhi  did  not 
consider  him  to  be  a  fit  husband  for  his  daughter.  He  therefore 
wanted  to  put  him  off  and  said  : — "Give  a  dower  of  one  thousand 
horses,  with  the  lustre  of  moon  all  over  their  body  and  with  one  of 
their  ears  dark-coloured  (Syama).  For  we  are  sons  of  Kusika." 

The  Rishi  went  to  Varuna  and  got  the  horses.  He  gave  them 
to  the  king  and  married  Satyavati. 

Satyavati  and  her  mother  both  asked  Richika  to  prepare  Cham 
for  the  birth  of  a  son  to  each.  (Cham  is  an  oblation  of  rice,  barley, 
and  pulse,  boiled  together.  It  is  offered  to  Devas  and  Pitris).  Richika 
prepared  two  charus  and  consecrated  one  with  Brahmana  Mantra 
and  the  other  with  Kshatriya  Mantra.  The  Rishi  then  went  to  bathe 
himself.  In  the  meantime,  the  mother  thought,  the  daughter's  Charu 
must  be  superior  to  hers.  So  she  procured  that  from  her  daughter 
and  the  daughter  partook  of  her  mother's  Charu.  When  the  Rishi 
returned  and  learned  what  had  taken  place,  he  said  to  his  wife  : — 
"  What  an  improper  thing  you  have  done  by  this  exchange  of  Charus  ! 
You  shall  have  a  fierce  and  terrible  son,  while  your  brother  shall  be 
the  greatest  in  divine  wisdom." 

Satyavati  prayed  to  her  husband,  saying  "  Let  it  not  be  so " 
The  Rishi  then  said,  "  Then  your  grandson  shall  be  all  that/1 

Jamadagni  was  born  of  Satyavati.  She  became  the  river 
Kausiki. 

Jamadagni  married  Renuka  the  daughter  of  Renu. 

Jamadagni  had  several  sons,  Vasumat  and  others.  The  young 
est  was  Rama  (Parsurama).  He  is  said  to  be  an  Incarnation  of 


[      206     } 

Vishnu.     He  destroyed   the    Haihaya   Kshatriyas.      He  cleared   the 
earth  of  Kshatriyas  twenty  one  times. 

Kartavir^arjuna  was  the  chief  of  the  Haihaya  clan.  He  got 
yogic  power?  from  Datta-Atreya  and  also  one  thousand  heads.  He 
was  very  powerful.  He  was  hospitably  received  one  day  by  Jama- 
dagni,  with  the  objects  yielded  by  his  Kama-t)henu  (a  cow  that  yields 
all  objects  of  desire).  The  king  longed  to  have  the  cow  and  forcibly 
carried  her  away.  Parasurama  killed  the  king  in  battle  and  carried 
back  the  cow.  The  sons  of  the  king  out  of  revenge  killed  Rishi 
Jamadagni  while  Parasurama  and  his  brothers  were  out.  Incensed 
by  this  conduct  of  the  Haihayas,  Parasurama  killed  all  the  Kshatriyas 
on  account  of  their  iniquities. 

Jamadagni  on  his  death  became  the  Seventh  Rishi  in  the  con 
stellation  of  the  Seven  Rishis. 

Parasurama  will  become  one  of  the  Seven  Rishis  in  the  next 
Manvantara.  He  bides  his  time,  with  axe  in  hand,  on  the  Mahendra 
mountain. 

Gadhi  had  his  son  Visvamitra.  Though  a  Kshatriya,  he  be 
came  a  Brahmana  by  his  Tapas.  He  had  one  hundred  sons.  The 
mid  son  was  Madhuchhandas.  But  they  were  all  called  Madhu- 
chhandas.  Visvamitra  adopted  as  his  son  Sunah^epha,  son  of 
Ajigarta  of  the  clan  of  Bhrigu  after  he  had  been  offered  up  to  the 
Devas  and  the  Rishi  asked  his  sons  to  accept  him  as  their  eldest 
brother.  Sunahsepha  had  been  purchased  as  the  victim  of  Haris 
Chandra's  sacrifice.  He  prayed  to  the  Devas  and  to  Prajapati  and 
got  liberation.  In  the  clan  of  Gadhi,  he  was  known  as  Devarata.  In 
the  clan  of  Bhrigu,  he  was  called  Sunahsepha.  The  elder  sons  of 
Visvamitra  did  not  accept  him.  So  the  Rishi  cursed  them  to  become 
Mlechhas.  Madhuchhandas  with  the  youngest  50  did  as  asked  by 
the  Rishi. 

The  other  sons  of  Visvamitra  were  Ashtaka,  Harita,  Jaya, 
Kratumat  and  others. 

^  GADHI 


Satyavati 
m.  Richika 

Jamadagni 

1 
Visvamitra 

i 

(adopted) 
Devarata 

TOO  sons            Ashtaka  &  others. 

including 
Parasurama  Madhuchhandas 


t    207    ] 
THE  LUNAR  DYNASTY. 

SKANDHA  IX.  CHAP.  17. 
Ay  us  was  the  eldest  son  of  Pururavas.    His  line  is  now  given. 


Pururavas 
Ayus 

i 

Nahusha 

Kshatra-Vriddha       Raji 

i              i 

Suhotra                500  Sons 
1 

Rabha 
Rabhas 
Gambhira 
Akriya 

i 

i 

Anena 
Suddlia 

„       1 

Suchi 
Chitraka 

Kasya 
KaSi 

Kusa 
Prati 

Gritsamada 
Sunaka 

Rashtra      Sanjaya      Sounaka 

I  I 
Dirghatamas    Jaya 

Dhanvantari  Harnabala 
(  promulgator 

of  Ayur  Veda  Sahadeva 
and  a  sub  In- 


carnation     of 
Vishnu.) 

Ketumat 

1 

Bhimaratha 

Divodasa 

Hina 
Jaya  Sena 
Saukriti 
Jaya. 

Dyumat  (also  called  Pratardana 
Satrujit  and  Ritadhvaja) 

~T  T 

Alarka  others 

(reigned  for  66000  years) 

Santati 

I 
Sunitha 

i 

Niketana 

i 

Dharmaketu 


Brahmavit    Santarajas 


Dharmaketu 
Satyaketu 

Dhrishtaketu 

I 

Sukumara 

I 
Vitihotra 

I 
Bharga 

Bhargabhumi 


t    208    ] 

Raji  defeated  the  Asuras  and  made  over  Svarga  to  Indra. 
Indra  placed  Raji  in  charge  of  Svarga.  Raji  died  and  his  sons 
did  not  return  the  kingdom  of  Svarga  to  Indra.  Brihaspati  made 
invocation  against  them  and  they  were  all  easily  killed. 

SKANDHA  IX.  CHAPS.  18-19. 

Pururavas 

Ayus 


i                1 

Nahusha            Kshatra-vridha 
1 

1 
Raji 

Rabha 

1 
Anena 

Yati 

Yayati        Saryati 

~1 

Ayati 

Viyati 

Kriti 

Sarmistha  was  the  daughter  of  the  Danava  king  Vrishaparvan. 
Devayani  was  the  daughter  of  Sukra,  the  preceptor  of  the  Danavas. 
They  quarrelled  whilst  playing  with  each  other  and  Sarmistha  threw 
Devayani  into  a  well.  King  Yayati  happened  to  pass  by  the  way 
and  he  rescued  her.  She  became  attached  to  the  king  and  married 
him.  Sukra  became  displeased  with  the  Danavas  for  the  ill  treatment 
of  his  daughter  by  Sarmistha.  And  to  please  the  preceptor  and  his 
daughter,  Vrishaparvan  had  to  make  over  his  daughter  and  her 
companions  to  Devayani  as  her  constant  attendants.  So  they  ac 
companied  Devayani  to  the  place  of  Yayati.  Sukra  warned  Yayati 
however  not  to  have  any  intercourse  with  Sarmistha.  But  the  king 
did  not  heed  the  warning.  He  had  two  sons  Yadu  and  Turvasu  by 
Devayani  and  three  sons,  Druhya,  Anu  and  Puru  by  Sarmistha. 
Devayani  complained  to  Sukra  and  by  the  curse  of  the  Rishi  the 
king  was  attacked  with  the  infirmities  of  old  age.  The  Rishi  was 
subsequently  pleased  to  say  that  the  king  might  exchange  his  infir 
mities  with  another.  Yayati  called  his  sons  one  by  one  and  they  all 
declined  to  comply  with  his  request  except  the  youngest  son  Puru. 
So  he  exchanged  his  infirmities  with  Puru  and  lived  as  a  young  man. 
At  last  he  found  that  no  amount  of  gratification  of  the  senses  pro 
duced  satiety  and  being  disgusted  with  the  pleasures  of  life,  made 
over  to  Puru  his  youth  and  took  upon  himself  his  own  infirmities. 
He  made  over  the  south  east  to  Druhya,  the  east  to  Yadu,  the  west 
to  Turvasu  and  the  north  to  Anu.  He  then  made  Puru  his  successor 
and  went  into  the  forest. 


t     209    ] 

SKANDIIA  IX.    CHAP.  20. 
YAYATI 


I  I  I  I  I 

Yadu  Turvasu  Druhya  Arm  Puru 

I  . 
'  Janamejaya 

Prachinvat 

I 
Pravira 

Manasyu 

Charupada 

Sudyu 

Bahugava 

"I  . 

Sanyati 

Ahanvati 

Raudrasva 
by  Apsaras  Ghritachi 


R! 

teyu 

Kaksheya 

Sthandileyua 

Kriteyu 

Jaleyu 

Rantinabha  Sateyu     Dharmeyu  Sannatyeyu  Vrateyu  Vaneyu 

I  I  ! 

Sumati  Dhruva  Apratiratha 

i  i 

Rebhi  Kanva 

Dushmanta  (the  famous  Medhatithi 

lover  of  Sakuntaia  daughter  | 

of   Visvamitra   by  Menaka,  Pras  Kanna  and  other 

hero  of  Kali  Dasa's  drama.)  Brahmanas 

I 

Bharata 
(Sub-Incarnation  of  Vishnu) 

Bharata  had  three  wives,  all  of  Vidarbha.  One  of  them  bore 
a  son  to  the  king,  but  he  pronounced  the  child  to  be  unlike  himself. 
The  wives  of  the  king  killed  their  children  for  fear  of  their  being 
called  illegitimate.  Bharata  gave  Yajna  offerings  to  the  Maruts  and 
to  Soma  (Moon)  that  he  might  be  blessed  with  a  Son.  The  Maruts 
gave  him  Bharadvaja  as  his  son.  Brihaspati  (Jupiter)  produce'd  Bhara 
dvaja  on  Mamata  (Egoism),  the  wife  of  his  brother  Utathya.  The 
parents  deserted  the  child  and  he  was  brought  up  by  the  Maruts. 
Bharadvaja  being  adopted  by  Bharata  was  called  Vitatha. 
27 


t      210     ] 


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[       212      ] 

(i)  RIKSHA 
Samvarana 

m.     Tapati  daughter  of  the  Sun 
Kuru 


Parikshi 

Sudhana 

1                 1 
Jahnu     Nishadha 

i 

i 

Suhotra 

Suratha 

i 

1 

Chyavana 

Viduratha 

i 

i 

Kriti 

Sarvabhouma 

Uparichara  Vasu 

Jaya  Sena 

1 

, 

Radhika 

Ayutayu 

Uparichara  Vasu 

1 

Ayutayu 

1                1                I              1                          1 

Brihadratha    Kusamba    Matsya    Pratyagra    Chedipa  Others 

Akrodhana 

1 

1 

|                         [ 

Devatithi 

Kusagra      Jara  Sandha 

|             (was  born  in  two  parts.  He  was 

Riksha 

Rishabha     therefore  thrown  away  out  side. 

|             Jara  a  Rakshasa  woman,  united 

Dilipa 

Satyahita    the    two   parts   and    made   the 

|            child  alive.  Hence  he  was  called 

Pratipa 

Pushpavat  Jarasandha). 

Jahu          Sahadeva 

1 

Somapi 

Sruta  Sravas 

1                                1 
Devapi                   Santanu 

Vah 

ika 

(gave  up  the  world            *  *  * 

and  went  to  forest) 

Somadatta 

i 

Bhfiri 


BhQrisravas 


Sala 


Santana  had  in  his  former  life  the  power  by  pass  of  his  hands 
to  make  an  old  man  young.     He  was  therefore  called  Santanu  in  this 


life.  When  he  became  king,  there  was  drought  for  12  years.  The 
Brahmanas  ascribed  this  to  Santanu's  overlooking  the  claims  of  his 
eldest  brother  Devapi.  Santanu  went  to  his  brother.  But  in  the 
meantime  his  minister  had  sent  certain  Brahmanas  to  Devapi  and 
they  dissuaded  him  from  Vedic  Dharma.  Het  hus  became  unfit  to  be 
a  king  and  the  Devas  then  rained.  But  Devapi  is  waiting  at  Kaldpa 
fot  his  future  mission.  The  lunar  dynasty  will  come  to  an  end  in  the 
present  Kaliyuga  and  Devapi  will  be  the  progenitor  of  the  lunar 
Dynasty  in  the  next  Satyayuga. 

Santanu 
By  GangS \ By  Satyavati 

T  ~T  I 

Bhishma  Chitrangada  Vichitra  Virya 

(killed  by  a  m.     Amb&  and 

Gandharva)  Ambalika 

daughters  of 
Kasiraja 

Satyavati  was  the  daughter  of  Uparichara  Vasu  by  Matsya- 
gandha.  Before  her  marriage  with  Santanu,  Rishi  Paras*ara  had  by 
her  one  son  Krishna  Dvaipayana,  the  renowned  Vyasa,  father  of  Suka, 
the  propounder  of  the  Bhagavata  Purana. 

As  Vichitra  Virya  had  no  son,  Satyavati  asked  Vyasa  to 
produce  sons  on  his  wives.  They  were  Dhritarashtra,  Pandu,  and 
Vidura. 

Dhritarashtra 

m.     Gandhari 


m.     Kunti 

i 

1                                   1 
Duryodhana            99  Others 

Pandu 

m. 

1 

Duhsate 

Madri 

i 

i 

(By  Dharma) 
Yudhisthira 

1                        | 
(By  Indra)     (By   Vayu) 
Arjuna            Bhima 

(  By  Asvini  Kumars  ) 
Nakula        Sahadeva 

YUDISTHIRA   HAD 

(1)  By  Draupadl  —  Prativindhya 

(2)  By  Pauravi     —  Devaka 
BHIMA  HAD 

(1)  By  Draupadi      —  Srutasena 

(2)  By  Hidimba         -  Ghatot  Kacha 

(3)  By  Kali  —  Sarvagata 


ARJUNA  HAD 

(1)  By  Draupadi     —  Srutakirti 

(2)  By  UlCipi  -  Iravat 

(3)  By  the  princess 

1    of  Manipur  —  Vabhruvahana 

(4)  By  Subhadra     —  Abhimanyu 

m.  Uttara 

Parikshit 

NAKULA  HAD 

(1)  By  Draupadi      —  Satanika 

(2)  By  Karenumatl  —  Naramitra 
SAHADEVA  HAD 

(1)  By  Draupadi       —  Sruta  Karman 

(2)  By  Vijaya  —  Suhotra 


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I  i  uj j_l_|j_l_s_i  j_i_!_I 

X2 c«  43 c          43  •-^C^rnS^c'nrrt^-'^'rt 

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1     § 

rt  — «»H 


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g          kH  ^ 

P  Q 


Kshemaka  shall  he  the  List  of  tkis  approved  line  in  theKali 
Yuga. 


Now  as  to  the  Magadha  kings. 


c        <u       < 

rt T3 •; 


_. 


&         rt 


_ 

f  * 


CO        PQ 


Q 


•c     co     co 
Q 


• 


This  line  shall  he  extinguished  one  thousand  years  after  the 
death  of  Parikshit.  (The  future  tense  is  used  in  the  text  with  refer 
ence  to  the  time  of  Parikshit.) 

SKANDHA  IX.  CHAPS.  23. 


YAYATI 


Yadu          Turvasu            Druhya 

1                        1 
Anu                 Puru 

1 

1 
Sabhanara 

1 
Kalanara 

Janamejaya 

Maha  Sala 

1 
Mahamanas 

1 

1                        | 
Chakshus        Parekshu 

1 
Usinara 

1 

1 
Titiksha 

1 

|                    |                                          Rushadratha 
Sivi            Vara             Krimi             Daksha                        | 
|                                                                                         Homa 

1                        111 
Vrishadarbha       Subiua         Madra      Kekay 

a                 Sutapas 

Bali 


t     216     ] 

Dirghatamas  Rishi  produced  on  Bali's  wife  Six  sons — Anga, 
Banga,,  Kalinga,  Sambhu,  Fundra  and  Odhra.  These  six  sons 
founded  kingdoms  in  their  own  names  in  the  East. 

Anga  is  the  country  about  Bhagalpur.  Banga  is  modern 
Bengal.  KaliKga  is  the  country  between  Jagannatha  and  the  Krishna 
Odhra  is  part  of  modern  Orissa.) 

BALI 

| 

I  I  I  I  I  I 

Anga          Banga          Kalinga          Sambhu          Pundra         Odhra 

i 

Khalapana 

i 

Diviratha 

i 

Dharmaratha 

Chitraratha. 

Chitratha  was  also  called  Romapada.  He  had  no  son.  Dasa- 
ratha  (father  of  Rama)  was  his  friend.  He  gave  his  daughter  Santa 
to  Romapada.  Santa  was  married  to  Rishi  Rishya  Sringa.  That 
Rishi  made  a  Yajna  for  Romapada  and  he  had  a  Son  Chaturanga 

born  to  him. 

Chitraratha  or  Romapada 

Chaturanga 

Prithulaksha 

I 
Brihadratha 


I  I  I 

Brihadratha         Brihatkarman         Brihatbhanu 

i 

Brihanmanas 
Jayadratha 

i 

Vijaya 

Dhriti 

I 
Dhritavrata 

i 

Satkarman 

Adhiratha 

(He  adopted  Kama  of  the  Mahabharata  as  his  son,  when  he 
had  been  left  by  Kunti.) 


[      2I7      ] 

ADHIRATHA 

I 
Kama 

Vrisha  Sena 

• 
• 

YAYATI 

I 
Druhyu 

I 
Babhru 

Setu 

Arabdha 

I 
Gandhara 

Dharrna 

i 

Dhrita 

I 
Durmada 

Prachetas 

I 
One  hundred  sons  inhabiting  the  north  as  a  Mlechcha  race 

YAYATI 

I 
Turvasu 

Bahni 

I 
Bharga 

Bhanumat 

i 

Tribhanu 
Karandhama 

i 

Marutta  (adopted  Dushmanta  of  the 
line  of  Puru  as  his  son,  but  Dush 
manta  reverted  to  his  own  line*) 


28 


[      218      1 

YAYATI 

Yadu 
1 

Sahasrajit,        *      Kroshta,                            Nala, 
Satajit 

Rit 

1                               1                        1 

Mahahaya         Renuhaya        Haihaya 

Dharma 

i 

Netra 

i 
Kunti 

I 

Sohanji 

Mahishmat 
Bhadra  sen 


i 

Durmada 


Dhanaka 


Kritavirya   Kritagni  Kritavarman,  Kritaujas 

Arjuna 

(Learned  Yoga  from    Dattatreya.      Had   one 

thousand  sons  of  whom  only  5  survived.) 


Jayadhvaja 
Talajangha 


Surasena      Vrishabha        Madhu 


Urjita 


Vitihotra  and  99  other  sons 
called  Tala  Janghas.  They 
were  killed  by  Sagara. 


Vrishni 


YADU 

Kroshtu 

I         ' 
Vrijinavat 

I 
Svahita 


99 


oth 


er  sons 


[      2I9      ] 

Svahita  (Continued) 
Visaclgu 

i 

Chitraratha 

I  . 
Sasavindu.     (Had  ten  thousand  wives 

and  one  laksha  sons  by  each  wife.     Of  these  sons,  six  were  famous 
Prithu  Sravas,  Prithu  Kirti,  Punyayasas  etc.,) 


^                      •  fV   •             __|—|-- 

• 

SASAVINDU 

1 

1 

Prithu-Sravas 

Dharma 
i 

Others 

Usanas 
i 

1 
Ruchaka 

i 

t 

Purujit 

i 

Rukma 

Rukmesha        Prithu        Jy&magh; 

(The  king  carried  away 
from  Indra's  place  one  girl 
Bhojya  whom  he  married 
to  his  future  son  Vidarbha) 

Vidarbha 
I 


Kusa 


Krathu 

Kunti 

Vrishni 

Nirvriti 

I 
Dasarha 

Vyoma 
JiinQta 


Romapada 

Babhru 

Kriti 

Usika 
I 


I  1  I 

Chedi  Damaghosha  others 


Bhimaratha 

i 

Navaratha 


[      220     J 

N  a  varatha  ( Con  tinned) 

Dasaratha 
Sakuni 
Karambhi 

Devarata 

Devakshatra 

Madhu 

Kuruvasa 

i 

Anu 

I 
Puruhotra 

Ayus 

I 
Satvata 


Bhajamat     Bhaji    Divya         Vris 


Nimlochi     Kinkana     Dhrishti 


I  I  I 

Satajit    Sahasrajit  Ayutajit 


mi  Devavridha  Andhaka  Mohabhoja 


Babhra 


The  Bhojas 


Sumitra  Yudhajit^ 


Nighna         Sini    *  Anamitra 

i  i 


Satrajita        Prasena     | 
Sini 


Vris 


ishni 


Satyaka         | 
|        Svaph 
Yuyudhana 

Jaya 

alka           Chitraratha 

i 

Prithu  Viduratha 

1 

Kuni          AU 

rAra               TO   r»th£»rc       Qiirli^*1 

Yugandhara       | 


Devavat 


Upadeva 


(a)  ANDHAKA 


1 

Kukura 

1 
Bahni 

Viloman 

Bhajamat 

Suchi 

i 

Kambalavarhis 

Kapota-roman 

Ann  (Tumvaru  was 
his  friend) 

I 
Andhaka 

Dundubhi 

i 

Avidyota 
Punarvasu 


I 
Ahuka     Ahuki 

_J 

Devaka          Ugrasena    (b) 


(i)  Devavat.     (2)  Upadeva.     (3)  Sudeva.     (4)  Devavardhana. 
(5)  Dhritadevd.     (6)  Sdntideva.     (7)  Upadevd.     (8)  Srideva. 
(9)  Devarakshitd.     (10)  Sahadevd.     (11)  Devaki. 
(Vasudeva  married  all  the  Sisters) 


(b)  UGRA-SENA. 

!  _ 

II  I  III  I 

Kansa     Sun^ma     Nyagrodha     Kanka     Sanku     Suhu      R^shtrapala 


i  i 

Dhrishti    Tushtimat     5  Sisters  married  to  the 

brothers  of  Vasudeva, 


.VIDURATHA 

SOra 

I 
Bhojamat 


[      222      ] 

Bhojamat  (Continued) 
Sini 
Bhoja 
Hridika 


I  I  I 

Devamirha  Satadhanu  Kritavarman 

I 
Sura 

m.     Marisha 


Vasudeva     Devabhaga     Devasravas        Anaka    Srinjaya    Sy£maka 


III  I 

Kanka     Samika    Vatsaka    Vrika        5  daughters 

The  five  sisters  of  Vasudeva  were  : — 

(1)  Prithd,  married  to  Pandu 

(2)  Srutadeva,  married  to  Vriddha  Sarman 

Dantavakra 

(3)  Sruta  Kirti,  married  to  Dhrishtaketu 


I  I 

Santardan  4  sons 

(4)  Sruta  Sravas,  married  to  Damaghosha  of  Chedi 
Sisupala 

(5)  RdjAdhidevi,  married  to  Jayasena 


Vinda         Anuvinda 

The  flve  sisters  of  Kansa  were  married  to  the  5  brothers  of 
Vasudeva.     They  were  : — 

(i)    Kansd,  married  to  Devabhaga. 


I  -     I 

Chittaketu  Brihadbala. 

(2)    Kansavati,  married  to  Deva  Sravas. 


Suvira  Ishumat 


r 

(3)     KankA,  married  to  Kanka. 


Vaka       Satyajit       Purujit. 

(4)     RdshtrapAlt,  married  to  Srinjaya. 


Vrisha  Durmarshana  Others. 

(5)     Stirabh&mi)  married  to  Syamaka. 


Harikesa  Hiranyaksha. 

As  to  the  other  brothers  of  Vasudeva,  Vatsaka  had  by  Apsa- 
ras — Misrakesi,  Vrika  and  other  sons. 

VATSAKA 
m.  MISRAKESI 


Vrika  Others 

m.  Durvakshi 
I 


1  I  I 

Taksha  Pushkarasala  Others. 

Samika 
m.  Sudamani 


I  I  I 

Sumitra  Arjunapala  Others. 

Anaka 
m.  Karnika 


I  i 

Ritadhaman  Jaya- 

Vasudeva  had  several  wives.     Their   names   and   the  names  of 
their  sons  are  given  below  : — 

I.     Rohini 

i 

BALADEVA    Gada    Sarana    Durmada   Vipula  Dhruva  Krita  Others 

2.     Pautavi 

I 

Subhadra  Bhadrabahu    Durmada    Bhadra    Bhuta   7  Others. 

'  3.     MaditA 
I 

I  I  I  I  I 

Nanda          Upananda        Kritaka  Sflra  Others. 


4.  BhadrA 

I 
Kesin, 

5.  Rachand 


Hasta 


Hemangada 
6.     Ila. 


Others. 


Uruvalka 


I 
Others. 


7.     Dhritadevd 

Vipristha. 

8.     Sdntidevd 
I 


I 
Prasama 


Prathita 


I 
Others. 


9.     UpadevA 

\ 

Raj  any  a 

Kalpa-Varha 
IO.     Sridevd 

i 

i 

Others. 

Vasu 


Gada 


Hansa        Suvansa        Others. 
ii.     Devarakshitd 

i 


12.     Shahadevd 


Others. 


Pravara 


Srutimukhya 
13.     Devaki 


Others. 


I  I  I  I  I  I 

Kirtimat  Sushena  Bhadrasena  Riju  Sanmardana  Bhadra  Sankarshana 


I 
KRISHNA 


Subhadra. 


(With  the  birth  of  Sri  Krishna,  we  come  to  the  end  of  the 
Ninth  Skandha  of  the  Bh^gavata  Purana.  But  for  the  completion 
of  the  racial  account,  we  give  here  only  the  ist.  Chapter  of  the  I2th. 
Skandha, 


SKANDHA  XII.    CHAP.  i. 

We  have  seen  Ripunjaya  to  be  the  last  of  the  Magadha  kings. 
He  will  be  also  called  Puranjaya  (The  future  tense,  it  must  be  re 
membered,  is  used  solely  with  reference  to  the  time' of  Parikshit). 
His  minister  Sunaka  shall  kill  him  and  place  his  own  son  Pradyota 
on  the  throne. 

Pradyota 

PAlaka 

I 
VisAkha 

I 
RAjaka 

I 
Nandivardhana 

These  5  kings  of  the  line  of  Pradyota  shall  reign  for 
138  years. 

Nandi  Vardhana  Ajata-Satru    (Contd). 

Sisunaga  Darbhaka 

KAkavarna  Aj-aya 

Kshemadharma  Nandi  Vardhana 

Kshetrajna  Mahanandi 

VidhisAra  SaisunAga 
AjAta-Satru 

These  ten  shall  reign  for  360  years — Mahanandi  shall  have  a 
son,  Nanda,  by  a  Sudra  woman.  He  shall  be  the  next  king.  One 
BrAhmana  ChAnakya  shall  kill  Nanda  and  his  eight  sons  and  shall 
place  Chandra  Gupta  on  the  throne. 

rt  Cl3 

•£  c  c 

§<  2  c3       c 

O  |  «  1       I      ^ 

|  —  %  —  |  ~  1  —  |  —  |—  "3  — ^  —  I  —  il 

S        •?•        •*          r3          rt          b& 


These   ten    kings    called    Mauryas   shall    reign    for   137  years. 
Pushpamitra,    Commander    of    Brihadratha's     forces,    shall    kill    his 
master   and    be    king     himself.       He    shall    be   the    founder    of    the 
Sunga  dynasty. 
29 


[       226      ] 

I'USHPAMJTRA 

Agnimitra 

I 
Sujyestha 


I  II 

Vasumitra  Bhadraka  Pulinda 

Utghosha 
Vajramitra 
Bhagavata 
Devabhuti 

These  (10)  ten  kings  of  the  Sunga  dynasty  shall  reign  for  112 
years.  Vasudeva,  the  minister  of  Devabhuti,  shall  kill  his  master  and 
become  himself  the  king. 

VASUDEVA 

I 
Bhumitra 

Narayana 
Susarman 

These  four  kings  shall  be  called  Kanvas.  They  shall  reign  for 
345  years.  Susarman  shall  be  killed  by  his  servant  Balin,  a  Sudra  of 
the  Andhra  clan,  who  shall  himself  usurp  the  throne.  Balin  shall  be 
succeeded  by  his  brother. 


1                1 

Balin                  Krishna 
Srisantakarna 

i 

Pournamasa 
1 

Anishta  Karman 
Haleya 

Talaka 
i 

Gomati 

i 

PurJmat 

1. 
Medasiras 
1 

Lambodara 

1 
Chivilaka 
i 

Purishabhiru 

Sunandana 
i 

Sivaskanda 
Yajnasri 

Meghasvati 

Chakora 
i 

1 
Vijaya 

Atamana 
|                    ending 
Anishta  Karman 

i 
8  Bahus 
in  Sivasvati 

Chandravijna 
Salomadhi 

[      227      ] 

These  thirty  kings  of  the  Andhra  dynasty  shall  rule  the  earth 
for  456  years.  Seven  Abhiras,  kings  of  Avabhriti,  ten  Gardabhins 
(men  of  Gardabha)  and  sixteen  Kankas  shall  then  be  the  rulers. 
They  shall  be  followed  by  8  Yavanas,  14  Turushkas  and  ten 
Surundas.  These  65  kings  shall  reign  for  one  thousand  and  ninety 
nine  years.  Eleven  Moulas  shall  then  be  the  kings  for  300  years. 

Bhuta-Nanda,  Bangiri,  Sisunandi  and  Yaso-Nandi  shall  then 
become  kings.  Their  sons,  all  known  as  B^hlikas,  shall  succeed  them. 
Then  Pushpamitra  shall  be  the  king,  then  his  son  Durmitra.  Seven 
Andhras,  seven  Kosalas,  Vidurapatis  and  Nishadhas  shall  then  become 
kings,  at  one  and  the  same  time,  over  the  lands  of  these  names.  They 
shall  be  the  descendants  of  the  Bahlikas. 

Visvasphurji,  otherwise  called  Puranjaya,  shall  be  the  king  of 
the  Magadhas.  He  shall  make  havoc  of  the  caste  system.  His 
chief  town  shall  be  Padmavati  (Modern  Patna)  but  his  kingdom  shall 
extend  from  Hard  war  to  Pryag. 

Then  there  shall  be  Sudra  and  Mlechcha  kings. 


[THOUGHTS  ON  THE  VAIVASVATA  MANVANTARA.] 

The  study  of  the  Vaivasvata  Manvantara  can  be  pursued,  as 
to  minor  details,  from  more  than  one  stand-point.  But  I  am  at  pre 
sent  concerned  with  only  the  broad  outlines  of  its  esoteric  aspect. 

We  are  to  understand,  in  the  first  place,  that  there  are  certain 
types  of  human  races  in  this  as  in  other  Manvantaras.  Each  of 
these  types  has  a  history  of  its  own.  Each  has  its  stages  of  growth, 
rise  and  decline,  and  some  have  their  periods  of  revival  in  this 
Manvantara  as  well.  Each  racial  type  has  to  be  studied  separately. 

The  connection  of  the  races  with  the  Sun  and  the  Moon  re 
quires  a  little  consideration. 

Those  who  are  acquanted  with  Hindu  astrology  know  that 
the  life  time  of  a  man  is  divided  into  certain  divisions,  each  division 
being  under  the  influence  of  one  planet.  Each  planetary  period 
again  has  its  sub-divisions,  in  each  of  which  there  is  a  secondary  run 
of  the  planets. 

According  to  the  Bengal  School,  the  main  planetary  run  takes 
108  years  for  its  completion,  and  according  to  another  school,  it  takes 
1 20  years, 


[      228      ] 

The  following  is  the  order  of  planetary  succession  according 
to  the  second  school,  which  prevails  all  over  India,  except  in 
Bengal : — 

Sun  6  years,  Moon  10,  Mars  7,  Rahu  18,  Brihaspati  16,  Saturn 
19,  Mercury  17,  Ketu  7  and  Venus  20.  Thus  if  a  man  lives  for  120 
years,  all  the  planets  will  in  turn  have  influenced  his  life  in  the  above 
order,  commencing  from  the  planet  of  his  birth.  Again  there  will  be 
corresponding  sub-runs  of  all  the  planets  during  each  planetary  run. 
The  races  are  also  governed  by  such  planetary  influences. 

The  Solar  Dynasty  means  that  the  particular  type  of  humanity 
so  denoted  was  born  under  the  influence  of  the  solar  planet.  When 
all  the  planets  have  in  turn  exercised  their  influence  over  this  Dynas 
ty,  it  disappears  for  a  time  and  is  re-born  under  the  influence  of  the 
Sun. 

Similarly  there  will  be  a  revival  of  the  Lunar  dynasty — that 
which  commenced  under  the  influence  of  the  Moon. 

The  law  of  planetary  influence  over  the  human  races  is  not  as 
clearly  known  as  that  over  individual  men.  Otherwise  the  future 
history  of  rach  race  would  not  be  the  sealed  book  to  us  which  it  is. 

The  humanity  of  the  present  Manvantara  was  first  born  under 
the  influence  of  the  Solar  Planet.  Our  Moon  is  the  son  of  the  Sun- 
God. 

The  races  that  first  appeared  were  called  Solar  races. 

Other  races  appeared  under  the  influence  of  the  Moon.  In 
these  races  we  find  first  the  influence  of  Brihaspati  or  Jupiter,  through 
his  wife  T&ra,  then  of  Budha  or  Mercury,  and  lastly  of  Sukra  or 
Venus,  through  his  daughter  Devayani. 

This  planetary  succession  may  be  only  a  Sub-run  of  the 
planets.  We  read,  in  the  account  of  the  previous  Manvantaras,  of 
the  appearance  of  Sukra  as  the  guide  of  the  Daityas,  and  of  Brihas 
pati  as  the  guide  of  the  Devas.  We  have  also  read  of  the  appearance 
of  R;ihu  in  the  sixth  Manvantara.  This  shews  that  the  main  planet 
ary  round  has  to  be  found  in  the  Kalpa  itself. 

Our  knowledge  on  the  whole  subject  is  however  so  poor  that 
it  is  unsafe  to  make  any  distinct  suggestion. 

Now  we  shall  take  the  Solar  Races,  or  the  sons  of  Vaivasvat 
Manu,  in  order  of  their  treatment  in  the  text.  PriskadJna  and  Kavi 
were  the  first  spiritual  races.  They  did  not  marry  i.  e.  there  was  no 
sexual  reproduction  among  them. 


t   229  ] 

Next  in  order  was  the  Kdrusha  race  inhabiting  the  north. 

The  Dhdrshtas  were  also  a  spiritual  race  (Brahmanas). 

The  descent  towards  Materiality  commenced  with  Nriga.  He 
is  said  to  have  been  transformed  into  a  lizard.  His  grandson  was 
BhAtajyoti,  Bhutas  being  different  forms  of  matter.  Vasu  is  a  God 
of  Material  wealth.  Frdttkd  means  the  reverse  or  opposite  (/.  e. 
the  reverse  of  spirit.)  Ogha  means  a  current.  The  current  of 
materialism  set  in  with  the  line  of  Nriga. 

The  next  line,  that  of  Narishyanta,  shews  further  materiality. 
Midhvat  is  that  which  wets  (the  root  mih  means  to  pass  water). 
Viti  is  production,  enjoyments.  Vitihotra  is  the  name  of  a  sacrificial 
fire.  Agnivesya  is  an  incarnation  of  Agni  or  the  Fire-God,  but  he  is 
nick-named  Kanina  or  son  of  an  unmarried  woman  and  also 
Jdtukarna  (the  name  of  a  Vedic  Rishi).  There  seems  to  have  been 
sexual  procreation  in  this  line.  The  incarnation  of  Agni  further 
indicates  that  the  present  human  form  was  complete,  for  Agni  is  the 
form-giving  energy  in  Nature. 

In  the  next  line  o.f  Dishta  we  have  Vatsapriti  or  affection  for 
children,  Ptansu  or  tall,  Pramati  or  full-grown  intellect,  Khanitra 
or  digger,  Chdkshusha  or  the  eyed,  and  Khaninetta  or  the  hollow- 
eyed.  This  line  represents  the  race  of  the  earliest  diggers,  very  tall, 
with  the  hollow  eye  predominant  in  them  as  a  characteristic  feature  ; 
this  race  was  very  powerful  and  capable  of  direct  communion  with 
the  Devas,  and  the  gods  acted  as  waiters  in  the  Yajna  of  Marutta. 

The  line  of  Saryati  refers  to  Anarta  and  a  town  named  Kusas- 
thali,  built  in  the  midst  of  the  Sea.  Evidently  the  continent  on  which 
the  race  flourished  is  now  under  water.  Anarta  is  supposed  to  be 
Sourashtra  (modern  Surat.)  But  the  site  of  Kusasthali  cannot  be 
ascertained.  There  were  remnants  of  this  race  till  the  time  of 
Krishna,  for  Balaram  married  Revati,  the  daughter  of  Kakudmin 
(hump-backed).  The  line  of  Nabhaga  is  a  short  one  and  it  merged 
itself  into  that  of  Angiras  who  was  the  father  of  Brihaspati  or  Jupiter. 
Ambarisha  is  the  prominent  figure  of  this  period. 

Then  we  come  to  the  line  of  Ikshvdku.  This  is  the  best 
known  line  of  the  Solar  races.  It  flourished  during  the  last  Tretayuga. 
Ikshvaku  is  called  the  eldest  son  of  Manu.  Perhaps  this  has  reference 
to  the  appearance  of  the  Race  in  the  previous  Manvantaras. 

The  eldest  son  of  Ikshvaku  is  Vikukshi  (Kukshi  is  womb.) 
He  is  also  called  Sasada  or  the  Rabbit-eater.  The  Moon  is  called 
Rabbit-marked. 


[     230    ] 

Putanjaya  is  the  son  of  Vikukshi.  He  is  called  Indfa-Vaha 
or  Indra-Vehicled.  Several  of  the  kings  of  this  dynasty  befriended 
the  Devas  of  Svar  Loka. 

Further  down  we  find  King  Purukutsa  forming  an  alliance 
with  the  elemental  serpents,  and  holding  communion  with  the  dwell 
ers  of  Rasatala.  The  river  Narvada  is  mentioned  in  connection  with 
Rasatala. 

Mdndhdtd  is  a  traditional  name  that  has  been  preserved  upto 
this  time  in  common  parlance  in  the  saying  "  As  old  as  king 
Mandhata."  The  line  of  Mandhata  was  divided  into  three  different 
branches.  Muchukunda  represented  a  branch  of  Yogins.  The  long, 
unbroken  sleep  of  Muchukunda  is  traditional  and  he  is  credited  also 
with  Yogic  powers.  Another  branch  that  of  Ambarisha,  Youvanasva 
and  Harita  represented  a  spiritual  sub-race.  But  we  have  to  follow 
the  history  of  the  Atlanteans  through  Purukutsa.  The  connection 
with  Rasatala,  or  the  plane  of  Material  ascendancy,  affected  the 
destiny  of  this  line.  In  Trisanku,  the  aspiration  ran  very  high.  He 
became  a  Deva,  but  had  his  head  turned  downwards,  /.  e.  turned 
towards  materiality.  With  the  powers  of  a  Deva,  but  with  the 
aspirations  of  an  Asura,  the  ground  was  prepared  for  the  down 
fall  of  this  line.  For  a  time,  however,  the  Race  flourished  in  all  its 
materiality.  The  alliance  between  Devas  and  men  became  cemented 
by  the  performance  of  Vedic  sacrifices.  This  was  the  first  spiritual 
advance  of  the  human  race,  through  the  temptations  of  Svarga  life. 

The  time  of  Haris  Chandra  is  the  Vedic  era,  when  the  earliest 
Riks  of  what  we  know  as  Rigveda  were  composed.  Visvamitra  and 
his  disciples  were  the  Vedic  Rishis  of  this  age.  The  Vedas  tried  to 
curb  the  riotous  course  of  materiality  by  prescribing  a  number  of  res 
trictions  on  the  enjoyment  of  material  desires.  Elaborate  rules  were 
laid  down  as  to  how  the  desires  might  be  best  gratified  for  a  prolong 
ed  period  in  Svargaloka,  by  the  performance  of  sacrifices  or  Yajna. 
The  whole  of  the  life  of  the  regenerate  classes  was  regulated  by  rigid 
laws  and  a  glowing  picture  was  given  of  life  in  Svarga  after  death. 
The  sacred  injunctions  were  not,  however,  potent  enough  to  check  the 
Kamic  tendencies  of  the  race  and  the  cyclic  law  which  now  required 
the  spiritual  evolution  of  humanity  was  continually  disregarded  by 
the  race.  This  was  poison  (gam)  to  the  system  of  humanity  and 
king  Sagar  imbibed  this  poison.  Hence  he  was  called  the  Poisoned. 
He  had  two  wives.  The  sons  of  one  wife  were  60  thousand  in  number. 
They  offended  Kapila,  an  Incarnation  of  Vishnu,  and  thus  were  all 
consumed.  They  reached  the  limit  of  material  degradation,  where 
final  extinction  awaited  the  race.  The  number  60,000  is  suggestive. 


[      231      ] 

The  extinction  of  Sagara's  sons  was  attended  with  great 
changes  on  the  earth's  surface.  It  is  said  they  dug  the  earth  and 
made  the  seas  in  their  search  for  the  sacrificial  horse.  Hence  the  sea 
is  called  Sagara.  This  may  refer  to  the  sinking  down  t  of  Atlantis 
when  a  large  portion  of  that  great  continent  became  a  sea-bed. 
There  was  a  corresponding  upheaval  of  land  and  the  Himalayan 
chain  reared  up  its  head,  as  we  can  easily  infer  from  the  first  appear 
ance  of  the  Ganges.  The  first  flow  of  Ganga  indicated  a  many  sided 
revolution  in  the  appearance  of  the  earth's  surface.  A  new  continent 
was  formed  to  which  India  was  attached  as  the  prominent  link.  Spiri 
tual  sub-races  grew  up  on  the  banks  of  the  sacred  river  who  more 
than  atoned  for  the  sins  of  their  fathers.  The  fore-runner  of  the  race 
of  spirituality  was  Asamanjas  (rising  above  the  ordinary  run).  He 
was  a  Yogin  not  led  away  by  the  material  tendencies  of  the  age.  His 
son  was  Ansumat  (having  the  ray  or  light  in  him).  Ansumat  paci 
fied  Kapila. 

Ganga  is  said  to  be  a  spiritual  stream  flowing  from  the  feet  of 
Vishnu.  With  the  advent  of  this  stream,  the  spiritual  rebirth  of 
humanity  commenced  in  right  earnest,  for  the  remaining  period  of 
the  Kalpa.  Already  the  path  had  been  -paved  by  the  Karmakanda  of 
the  Vedas,  which  put  restrictions  on  the  wanton  and  reckless  perfor 
mance  of  Karma  or  action.  The  pure  magnetism  of  the  holy  river 
helped  on  the  process  of  regeneration.  But  this  was  not  in  itself 
sufficient  to  cope  with  the  forces  of  materiality.  Accordingly  we  see 
Kalmasha  or  sin  appearing  in  the  line  of  Bhagiratha.  King 
Kalmashapada  became  a  Rakshasa.  A  Rakshasa  is  an  elemental  of 
destruction.  When  mind  becomes  too  much  identified  with  the  gross 
body  and  its  desires,  its  connection  with  the  Higher  Self  is  liable  to  be 
cut  off  by  the  action  of  the  Rakshasas.  These  forces  of  Tamas  act  in 
different  ways  to  serve  different  purposes  in  the  economy  of  the 
Universe.  When  the  material  downfall  of  man  reaches  its  furthest 
limit  in  the  Kalpa,  the  Rakshasas  become  Tamasic  forces  in  man  and 
he  is  unconscious  of  his  higher  nature.  That  sleep  in  time  becomes  a 
permanent  sleep,  and  the  lower  man  becomes  dead  to  his  real  Self. 
This  is  the  real  death  of  man,  when  the  ray  sent  forth  by  Isvara 
comes  back  to  Him,  without  any  spiritual  harvest,  and  what  constitut 
ed  the  personality  of  man  dissolves  into  the  Material  Universe. 

The  time  had  come  when  a  fresh  departure  was  necessary  in 
the  methods  pursued  by  the  Lila  Avataras  for  the  spiritual  regener 
ation  of  the  Universe.  They  had  now  to  appear  amongst  men,  as 
ordinary  beings,  to  give  direct  teachings  to  their  votaries,  to  infuse  as 


[      232      1 

much  Satva  as  possible  into  humanity  and  to  retard  by  all  means   the 
further  extinction  of  the  human  race. 

For  a  time  the  Rakshasas  reigned  supreme,  but  not  over  the 
new  continent,  permeated  as  it  was  by  the  sacred  waters  of  the 
Ganges.  Their  stronghold  was  Lanka,  the  remnant  of  the  Atlantean 
continent  Following  the  descent  of  Ganga  therefore,  Vishnu  incar 
nated  himself  as  Rama,  one  of  the  greatest  of  his  manifestations. 
The  Rakshasas  of  Lanka  were  killed.  Vibhishana  only  survived,  but 
he  was  allied  to  Rama  and  so  became  immortal  in  spirituality.  The 
Rakshasa  survives  in  us  but  its  energy  of  dissolution  does  not  militate 
against  the  evolution  of  man.  It  was  Rama  who  first  gave  the  idea 
of  Isvara  to  the  degraded  human  races  of  the  present  Manvantara. 
They  knew,  for  the  first  time,  that  there  was  one  greater  than  all  the 
Devas — the  Gods  of  the  Vedas — and  that  there  were  planes  higher 
than  even  Svarga.  The  path  of  devotion  was  proclaimed.  And  it 
became  possible  for  men  to  cross  the  limits  of  death  and  of  Triloki 
by  this  quality.  The  downfall  was  stopped  no  doubt ;  but  the  ascent 
was  only  permanently  secured  by  Lord  Sri  Krishna  as  we  shall  see 
later  on. 

After  Rama,  there  is  little  of  interest  in  the  line  of  Ikshvaku. 
The  decline  commenced  and  the  line  became  extinct  with  Sumitra, 
but  it  is  said  one  king  Maru  of  this  line  became  an  adept  in  Yoga 
and  retired  to  Kalapa,  where  he  bides  his  time  to  revive  the  solar 
dynasty  towards  the  end  of  the  Kaliyuga.  We  may  take  him  to  be 
the  originator  of  another  race  which  will  be  the  re-incarnation  of  the 
Ikshvaku  race. 

We  have  considered  the  line  of  Ikshvaku's  descendants  through 
Purukutsa.  There  is  another  line  of  his  descendants  through  Ni- 
misha.  Then  we  come  to  the  Lunar  Dynasty. 

The  Lunar  races  first  appeared  while  the  descendants  of 
Ikshvaku  were  still  flourishing,  though  on  the  eve  of  their  decline. 
They  had  immense  possibilities  of  spiritual  evolution,  and  the  great 
Aryan  race  seems  to  be  connected  with  them.  The  appearance  of 
these  races  is  almost  simultaneous  with  the  first  flow  of  the  Ganges. 
For  we  find  Jahnu,  who  swallowed  up  the  Ganges  in  her  first  terres 
trial  course,  is  only  sixth  in  the  line  of  descent  from  Pururavas. 

The  Lunar  dynasty  originated  in  the  union  of  Tara,  the 
female  principle  of  Brihaspati  (Jupiter),  and  the  Moon.  The  issue 
was  Budha  (Mercury),  the  direct  progenitor  of  the  Lunar  dynasty. 


t  233  ] 

The  son  of  Budha  was  Pururavas.  He  married  Urvasi,  the 
renowned  Deva  nymph. 

Pururavas  had  six  sons.  But  we  are  concerned  with  only  two 
of  them,  Ayus  and  Vijaya. 

Vijaya  gave  the  Adept  line  of  the  race  and  Ayus,  the  ordinary 
humanity. 

In  the  line  of  Vijaya,  we  find  Jahnu,  purified  by  the  assimila 
tion  of  Ganga,  Visvamitra,  pre-eminently  the  Rishi  of  the  Rig  Veda 
and  one  of  the  seven  sages  who  watch  over  the  destiny  of  the  present 
Manvantara,  Jamadagni,  another  of  the  seven  sages  of  our  Manvantara 
and  Parasurama  one  of  the  coming  sages  of  the  next  Manvantara. 
We  have  already  mentioned  the  part  taken  by  Visvamitra  and  his 
sons  in  the  composition  of  the  Vedic  Mantras. 

Coming  to  the  line  of  Ayus,  we  recognise  the  forefathers  of 
the  Aryan  races. 

In  the  short-lived  branch  through  Kshatra-vriddha,  we  find  the 
Vedic  Rishi  Gritsamada,  his  son  SOnaka,  the  renowned  Sounaka, 
Dirghatamas  and  Dhanvantari,  the  promulgator  of  Ayur-veda. 

But  the  longest  history  of  the  Race  is  through  the  descendants 
of  Yayati. 

King  Yayati  married  Devayani,  the  daughter  of  Sukra,  the 
presiding  Rishi  of  the  planet  Venus,  and  had  by  her  two  sons,  Yadu 
and  Turvasu.  Sukra  is  the  son  of  Bhrigu,  the  Rishi  of  Mahar  Loka. 
Devay^na,  is  the  path  leading  beyond  Triloki,  after  death. 

But  the  King  had  also  connection  with  a  Danava  girl,  who 
brought  forth  three  sons,  Druhyu,  Arm  and  Puru.  For  his  D^nava 
connection,  King  Yayati  had  in  youth  to  undergo  the  infirmities  of 
age.  This  evil  was  transmitted  to  Puru,  the  youngest  son  of  the 
Danava  girl. 

The  line  of  Puru  was  short-lived.  But  it  is  this  line  that  gave 
some  of  the  renowned  Vedic  Rishis,  viz.  Apratiratha,  Kanva, 
Medhatithi  and  Piaskanva.  Dushmanta,  the  hero  of  Kalidasa's  re 
nowned  drama  also  came  of  this  line.  Vishnu  incarnated  in  part  as 
Bharata,  son  of  Dushmanta. 

Then  there  was  a  revolution.  Bharata  found  that  his  sons  were 
not  like  unto  himself.  So  thq  direct  line  of  Puru  came  to  an  end. 
What  followed  is  a  little  mysterious.  Bharata  adopted  Bharadvaja  as 
his  son.  Bharadvaja  was  begotten  by  Brihaspati  (  Jupiter)  on  the 
wife  of  his  brother  Utathya  named  Mamata  (Egoism). 
30 


[     234     ] 

Bharadvaja  is  one  of  the  seven  presiding  Rishis  of  the  present 
Manvantara.  His  name  is  connected  with  several  Mantras  of  the 
Rig  Veda. 

The  great  actors  in  the  Kurukshetra  battle  were  the  descen 
dants  of  Bharadvaja.  We  find  much  diversity  of  spiritual  characteris 
tics  among  them.  The  material  and  spiritual  forces  were  gathered 
together,  in  all  possible  grades  from  the  P^ndavas  downward  to  the 
sons  of  Dhrita-rashtra  and  their  allies.  The  poetical  genius  of  the 
author  of  the  Mahabharata  has  called  forth  characters  in  the  Drama  of 
the  Kurukshetra  battle,  that  stand  out  in  all  the  details  of  real  life 
and  find  a  permanent  place  in  the  genealogy  of  the  Lunar  dynasty. 
The  study  of  the  racial  account  of  the  line  of  Bharadvaja  becomes 
therefore  extremely  difficult. 

The  Lunar  dynasty  will  be  revived  by  Devapi,  a  descendant  of 
Bharadvaja,  who  is  biding  his  time  at  Kalapa. 

The  early  inhabitants  of  Bengal,  Behar  and  Urishya  were  the 
sons  of  Anu,  the  second  son  of  Sarmistha.  The  famous  Kama,  one 
of  the  heroes  of  Kurukshetra,  also  belonged  to  this  line. 

The  eldest  son  of  Sarmistha  by  Yayati  was  Druhyu.  Prachetas 
of  this  line  had  one  hundred  sons,  who  inhabited  the  north  as  Mlechha 
races. 

But  the  greatest  interest  attaches  to  the  line  of  Yadu,  the 
eldest  son  of  Yayati  by  Devayani.  The  early  descendants  of  this 
line  were  the  Haihayas,  killed  by  Parasur£ma,  and  the  Taiajanghas, 
killed  by  Sagar-both  of  the  Solar  Dynasty.  The  Mahabharata  has 
given  an  importance  to  the  overthrow  of  these  early  Yadu  classes 
as  a  victory  of  the  Brahmanas  over  the  Kshatriyas.  Next  to  the 
Brahmanas  in  intelligence  were  the  Kshatriyas.  They  eagerly  accepted 
the  teachings  of  F  ama,  who  incarnated  as  one  of  them.  They  knew 
Isvara  as  higher  than  the  Devas  and  the  Brahmanas.  They  thought 
they  could  profitably  employ  their  time  in  seeking  after  the  knowledge 
of  Brahman.  This  necessarily  offended  the  orthodox  Brahmanas, 
who  performed  the  Vedic  sacrifices  and  had  no  higher  ambition  than 
to  resort  to  Devaloka.  The  Kshatriyas  thus  represented  a  religious 
evolution,  of  which  the  Upanishads  were  an  outcome.  In  time,  some 
Brahmanas  even  became  disciples  of  Kshatriyas.  Both  Rama  and 
Krishna  incarnated  themselves  as  Kshatriyas.  We  are  to  understand 
that  by  Kshatriyas,  during  this  period  of  Puranic  history,  is  meant 
seceders  from  Vedic  Karma  KAnda  more  or  less, 


[    235    1 

The  early  seceders,  the  Haihayas  and  Talajanghas  were  put 
down  by  the  Brahmana  Parasurama  and  by  the  Kshatriya  King 
Sagar,  who  espoused  the  cause  of  Vedic  Karma  Kanda  and  of  the 
Brahmanas,  represented  by  Rishi  Aurva  of  this  time. 

Parasurama  did  not  like  any  meddling  with  Vedic  Karma 
Kanda  by  persons  not  perfected  in  wisdom.  Even  Rama  had 
to  respect  the  Vedic  Rishis  and  had  to  protect  them  in  the  per 
formance  of  Vedic  sacrifices  from  the  attacks  of  Asuras  and  Rak- 
shasas.  When  Lord  Krishna  appeared  on  the  scene,  the  Asuras 
still  survived  ;  the  Vedic  Rishis  denied  offerings  to  Him,  Vedic  Karma 
had  a  strong  supporter  in  Jarasandha,  there  was  hypocrisy  in  the 
name  of  religion,  and  there  were  pretensions  in  various  forms.  On 
the  other  hand  great  improvements  had  been  made  in  the  proper 
understanding  of  the  realities  of  life  and  of  the  laws  of  nature.  In 
tellect  overflowed  in  many  channels  of  thought,  and  the  religious 
nature  of  man  found  vent  in  all  directions  from  atheism  to  religious 
devotion. 

Leaving  this  general  resume,  we  may  now  enter  upon  a  closer 
study  of  the  history  of  religious  movements  in  our  present  Manvan- 
tara,  so  that  we  may  understand  the  great  work  done  by  Lord  Sri 
Krishna.  The  races  live  as  individuals  live.  However  developed  an 
individual  may  be,  when  he  is  re-born  after  death,  he  first  becomes  a 
child  as  any  other  child.  There  is  much  of  spiritual  life  in  the  child, 
and  sometimes  pictures  of  heavenly  life  are  presented  to  his  spiritual 
vision,  which  are  denied  to  to  the  grown-up  man.  The  child  begins  his 
life  when  he  is  grown  up,  and  then  his  individual  characteristics  soon 
manifest  themselves.  We  do  not  read  much  of  the  man  in  the  child. 
Hence  the  history  of  the  early  spiritual  races,  who  were  infants  in 
the  racial  life,  does  not  teach  us  anything.  We  find  some  of  them  had 
communion  with  the  Devas  of  Svarga  Loka,  but  that  is  more  on  ac 
count  of  their  infant  spirituality  than  any  thing  else. 

When  the  races  developed  in  time,  they  became  most  intellec 
tual  as  well  as  most  material  at  the  same  time.  Manvantara  after 
Manvantara  was  taken  up  in  developing  the  physiological  (Pranic) 
activities,  the  sense  (Indriya)  activities,  and  then  the  lower  mental 
activities  of  the  Jivas.  The  personal  man  was  fully  developed  in  the 
sixth  Manvantara  and  the  great  churning  only  opened  the  door  for 
another  line  of  development.  The  possibility  of  spiritual  activity 
was  secured  to  men  by  KOrma. 

When  the  races  of  the  Sixth  Manvantara  therefore  became  re 
born  in  the  Seventh  Manvantara,  they  were  the  most  intellectual  of 
all  races,  but  they  had  also  the  power  given  to  them  of  developing 


r  236  j 

spiritual  faculties.  They  could  not  however  shake  off  the  Asuric  ele 
ment  all  at  once.  They  were  extremely  fond  of  material  joys,  and 
they  devised  all  means,  which  human  intellect  could  contrive,  of  grati 
fying  material  desires.  That  was  rjght  which  gave  material  gratifica 
tion  ;  that  w'a.s  wrong  which  militated  against  material  enjoyment. 

Bhuvar  Loka  is  the  plane  of  animal  desires.  The  human 
beasts  go  after  death  to  Bhuvar  Loka.  They  do  not  possess  anything 
which  could  take  them  to  Svarga  Loka. 

The  Svarga  Loka  is  for  those  who  develop  in  themselves  the 
faculty  of  discriminating  between  right  and  wrong,  and  who  do  or 
attempt  to  do  what  is  right.  Far  more  it  is  for  those  who  love  others 
and  who  do  good  to  them.  For  service  and  love  pertain  to  planes 
higher  even  than  Svarga.  But  in  the  higher  planes,  service  is  un 
selfish  and  love  is  divine.  The  lower  forms  of  service  and  love  pertain 
to  the  plane  of  Svarga.  In  Svarga  there  is  selfishness,  but  it  is  mix 
ed  with  spirituality.  It  is  only  the  good,  the  virtuous,  the  devoted 
that  go  to  the  plane  of  the  Devas  and  there  gratify  their  higher  desires 
to  their  heart's  content.  There  are  divine  music,  divine  beauty,  divine 
objects  of  gratification  in  Svarga  Loka — allurements  enough  for  a 
man  of  desire.  And  if  his  merits  be  great,  he  enjoys  the  things  of 
Svarga  Loka  for  an  enormously  long  period. 

.  But  a  man  by  bare  intellectuality  can  not  cross   the  threshold 

/  of  Svarga.  The  Devas  reject  the  intruder.  However  much  Trisanku 
might  aspire  to  have  the  enjoyments  of  Svarga,  and  however  great  his 
intellect  might  be,  he  was  not  allowed  to  enter  the  coveted  plane,  with 
out  the  passport  of  spirituality.  Humanity  had  still  to  learn  the  proper 
means  of  securing  life  in  Svarga. 

Poor  and  chance  spiritual  acquisitions  give  only  a  passing  life 
in  Svarga  and  that  not  of  a  superior  character.  So  all  the  knowledge 
as  to  attaining  Svarga  life  had  to  be  revealed  in  time. 

The  Rishis  made  great  efforts  to  improve  humanity  by  securing 
for  them  a  prolonged  existence  in  Svarga,  most  of  all  Rishi  Visva- 
mitra,  one  of  the  seven  sages  of  our  Manvantara.  Visvamitra  failed 
in  his  attempt  to  send  Trisanku  to  Svarga.  He  then  tried  with  his 
son  Haris  Chandra.  It  is  said  he  advised  the  Raja  to  make  a  human 
sacrifice  to  Varuna.  But  we  find  the  victim  Sunah-sepha  living  after 
the  sacrifice,  under  the  name  of  Deva-rata,  or  one  given  up  to  the 
gods,  and  some  of  the  Riks  even  were  revealed  to  him.  Haris  Chandra 
succeeded  in  entering  Svarga.  That  was  a  great  victory  for  Rishi 
Visvamitra.  The  Vedas  were  revealed  to  the  Rishis  and  sacrifices 
came  to  be  known, 


[    237    1 

N&rada  also  helped  the  cause  in  another  away.  He  related  the 
beauty  and  the  virtues  of  king  PurQravas  to  the  Devas  in  Svarga. 
Urvasi,  the  famous  Deva  nymph,  hearing  all  that,  became  enamour 
ed  of  the  king.  She  had  then,  by  the  curse  of  some  god,  a  human 
form.  So  she  could  keep  company  with  the  King.  Th&  king  was  en 
chanted  by  her  beauty.  When  she  left,  he  followed  her  advice  and 
pleased  the  Gandharvas.  The  Gandharvas  gave  him  the  fire,  with 
which  the  king  could  perform  sacrifice.  The  fire  became  threefold. 
With  one  he  could  perform  his  duties  to  the  Devas  and  go  to  Svarga 
Loka.  With  another,  he  could  perform  his  duties  to  the  Pitris. 
With  the  third  fire,  he  could  perform  the  duties  of  a  house-holder. 
Thus  sacrifices  meant  duties.  And  it  is  by  the  performance  of  duties 
that  men  can  perform  Vedic  sacrifices  and  go  to  Svarga  Loka. 

The  Vedas  laid  down  injunctions  and  prohibitions.  They  regu 
lated  the  actions  of  men,  propelled  by  Kama  or  desire.  Men  must  eat 
meat.  The  Vedas  said  this  meat  was  prohibited,  but  that  could  be  used. 
Men  mixed  with  women.  The  Vedas  laid  down  restrictions.  Even 
they  regulated  the  relations  between  man  and  wife.  Then  the  Vedas 
laid  down  the  duties  which  men  owed  to  all  classes  of  beings.  In 
order  to  induce  men  to  accept  the  Vedic  injunctions,  the  Vedas  held 
out  Svarga  as  the  reward  of  Vedic  Karma.  They  even  favoured  the 
belief,  that  there  was  to  be  immortal  life  in  Svarga  gained  by  the  per 
formance  of  Vedic  Karma.  Detailed  rules  as  to  the  performance 
of  Vedic  sacrifices  were  given.  So  long  as  men  did  not  aspire  to  be 
come  Indra,  or  the  ruler  of  Svarga,  the  Devas  were  pleased  with  the 
sacrifices  ;  they  helped  the  performer  as  much  as  they  could,  giving 
them  all  objects  of  desire,  and  they  welcomed  them  to  Svarga,  when 
they  passed  to  that  plane  after  death.  The  Devas  were  as  friendly 
to  the  performer  of  Vedic  Karma  as  they  were  unfriendly  to  the  im 
mature  Trisanku. 

The  Vedic  Karma  Kanda  became  thus  fully  revealed.  The 
revelation  was  made  in  the  last  Treta-yuga  of  the  present  Manvantara. 
"  At  the  beginning  of  the  Treta  Yuga,  the  three  Vedas  were  revealed 
through  Pururavas."  IX.  14-49.  "The  path  of  Karma  was  promul 
gated  in  Treta  Yuga,  by  the  division  of  the  Vedas."  Sridhara. 

The  great  churning  was  justified.  The  Devas  asserted  them 
selves  for  the  good  of  humanity.  The  Rishis  got  the  revelation  and 
helped  men  to  place  themselves  in  active  relationship  with  the  Devas. 
Men  learned  to  regulate  themselves  and  to  give  up  the  wantonness  of 
material  life.  And  they  had  a  strong  inducement  to  do  so  in  the 
prospect  of  eternal  life  in  Svarga.  The  great  actor  in  this  Vedic 


[     238     ] 

movement  was  Rishi  Visv&mitra,  (Hallowed  be  his  name  !)  Others 
followed  him  in  quick  succession,  and  there  was  a  brilliant  combina 
tion  of  Vedic  Rishis  who  propounded  the  whole  of  the  Karma  Kanda 
of  the  Vedas,  as  it  was  revealed  to  them  by  the  force  of  Kalpic 
necessity.  °  o 

At  all  times  there  have  been  two  parties,  one  following  the 
current  of  evolution,  and  another  going  against  it.  At  all  times  there 
have  been  cavillers  and  sceptics. 

The  Haihayas  and  Talajanghas  were  confirmed  materialists 
and  great  sinners.  They  ridiculed  the  Brahmanas,  who  performed 
Vedic  Karma,  and  often  set  themselves  in  opposition  to  them.  They 
were  very  troublesome  to  the  Brahmanas.  King  Sagar  wanted  to 
extinguish  the  race,  but  he  was  prevented  from  doing  so.  Possibly 
Atlantis  was  the  country  inhabited  by  these  races  and  Nature  helped 
the  cause  of  evolution  by  dragging  down  the  continent  itselt  under 
water.  The  sacred  Gang&  also  flowed  at  this  time,  spreading  purity 
over  all  lands  lying  on  her  banks. 

The  Haihayas  however  still  flourished  J  and  they  had  a  great 
leader  in  Karta-Viryarjuna.  Then  came  one  of  the  great  Avataras, 
Parasurama.  He  extirpated  the  Haihaya  Kshatriyas,  and  went  on 
killing  the  Kshatriyas  till  Rama  appeared,  and  it  was  then  that  he 
thought  his  mission  was  over. 

If  there  were  some  Kshatriyas  who  disregarded  the  Vedas, 
there  were  others  who  found  transitoriness,  even  in  Svarga  Loka,  and 
honestly  thought  that  the  complete  wisdom  was  not  to  be  found  in 
the  Karma  Kanda.  They  were  for  further  revelations  At  first,  the 
Brahmanas  did  not  look  with  favour  upon  these  Kshatriyas.  But 
when  it  was  found  that  the  Kshatriyas  got  real  light,  they  were  soon 
joined  by  the  Brahmanas.  The  foremost  of  these  Kshatriyas  was 
Janaka,  and  the  foremost  of  the  Brahmanas  was  Yajnavalkya.  The 
further  revelations  were  called  the  Upanishads. 

King  Janaka  found  Sita,  the  consort  of  Rama,  at  the  end  of 
his  plough.  Yajnavalkya  defeated  all  the  Brahmanas  of  his  time  in 
discussions  held  at  the  court  of  king  Janaka. 

When  R&ma  incarnated,  there  existed  the  people  of  Lanka,  a 
remnant  of  the  Atlantean  continent,  who  had  inherited  a  mighty 
material  civilisation,  but  who  were  called  Rakshasas,  on  account  of 
their  gross  iniquities.  They  reached  the  last  point  of  material  down 
fall,  and  lost  all  spirituality.  They  were  called  Rakshasas  as  final 
extinction  was  their  lot,  and  as  the  force  of  dissolution  was  strong  in 
them, 


t  239  ] 

Then  there  were  the  regenerate  classes,  who  performed  Vedic 
sacrifice?.  There  were  a  few  again,  who  accepted  the  Upanishads  as  a 
teaching,  but  they  could  not  boldly  declare  themselves  against  the 

performance  of  sacrifices. 

• 
Rama  finally  did   away   with  the  Rakshasas.     The  bard  who 

sang  his  glory,  the  great  Valmiki,  thus  began  his  lay  : — "  O   Killer  of 

birds,  thou  shalt  not  live  for  ever,  as  of  the    pair  of  storks  thou    hast 

. 

killed  the  male,  so  passionately  attached  to  his  consort."  Verily  the 
Purusha  in  us,  the  ray  of  the  supreme  Purusha,  becomes  passionately 
attached  to  the  element  of  Prakriti  in  us,  so  that  we  may  acquire 
spiritual  experiences  through  the  body.  And  it  is  a  cruel  act  to 
separate  our  Prakritic  individualities  completely  from  him  by  turn 
ing  ourselves  persistently  away  from  the  Purusha.  But  when  Rama 
became  an  Avatara,  the  fate  of  the  separator  was  sealed. 

When  the  Rakshasas  were  killed,  the  Rishis  were  left  free  to 
perform  the  Vedic  sacrifices. 

Rama  did  something  more.  He  married  the  daughter  of 
Janaka,  and  by  this  act  openly  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Upanishads. 

Lastly  Rama  offered  Himself  as  an  object  of  worship.  This 
was  the  beginning  of  Vishnu  worship,  which  makes  no  distinction 
between  classes  and  castes.  Rama  openly  made  friendship  with 
Guhaka,  belonging  to  theMowest  class,  whom  it  was  an  abomination  to 
touch,  for  Guhaka  was  devotedly  attached  to  Him,  as  an  Incarnation 
of  Vishnu. 

The  world  admired  Rama.  No  man  could  reach  such  eminence. 
He  must  be  something  more  than  a  man.  In  time  men  accepted 
him  as  an  Avatara.  At  any  rate,  he  was  an  example  to  others  in 
every  respect.  The  ethical  standard  he  laid  down  in  his  own  life 
was  unimpeachable.  The  world  had  never  seen  such  sacrifices  in  the 
performance  of  the  duties  of  life.  A  model  king,  a  model  son,  a 
model  husband,  a  model  brother,  a  model  warrior,  a  model  friend,  the 
model  of  models,  Rama  left  an  indelible  mark  as  a  religious  and 
moral  teacher,  on  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  and  on  all  succeeding 
ages. 

The  example  was  not  lost  on  the  world.  The  many-sided 
picture,  that  Rama  presented,  produced  a  spirit  of  enquiry,  which  has 
never  been  rivalled  in  this  Kalpa.  Men  thought  on  different  lines. 
They  studied  the  Upanishads,  which  had  been  favoured  by  R&ma. 
They  could  not  forget  also  that  Rama  taught  salvation  for  the  performers 
of  Vedic  sacrifices.  Then  there  was  the  teaching  of  his  own  life.  The 
light  was  manifold.  Independent  schools  of  thought  grew  up,  notably 


[     240    ] 

the  six  schools  of  philosophy.  Each  school  tried  to  find  its  authority 
in  the  Upanishads  and  the  divine  scriptures  supplied  texts  enough  for 
all  the  schools.  Every  school  found  a  part  of  the  truth  but  not  the 
whole  truth.  Yet  each  school  regarded  its  own  part  as  the  whole. 
So  they  quarrelled.  The  Mimansakas  said  that  the  performance  of 
Vedic  sacrifices  was  all  in  all.  It  had  the  sanction  of  time-honored 
texts  and  of  the  most  ancient  Rishis.  And  Jaimini  supplied  the 
reasoning  by  which  the  practice  could  be  supported.  The  Sankhyas 
said  that  the  chief  duty  of  a  man  was  to  discriminate  between  the 
transformable  and  the  non-transformable  element  in  him,  and  when 
that  was  done,  nothing  more  was  needed.  The  followers  of  Patanjali 
said  that  mere  discrimination  was  not  sufficient,  but  a  continued 
practice  was  required.  The  Vaiseshikas  studied  the  attributes  and 
properties  of  all  objects  and  sought  by  differentiation  to  know  the 
truths.  There  were  others  who  worshipped  the  Bhutas,  Pretas  and 
Pisachas,  so  that  they  might  easily  acquire  powers.  Others  wor 
shipped  the  dwellers  of  Svarga  Loka.  Some  worshipped  fsvara. 
But  mostly  the  worship  of  Siva  was  prevalent.  Gifts  and  charities 
also  were  not  unknown,  in  fact  they  were  very  extensive  in  some 
instances.  But  generally  the  object  of  all  religious  observances  was 
self-seeking  more  or  less. 

Amidst  this  diversity  of  religious  ideas  and  religious  obser 
vances,  seemingly  so  contradictory,  Sri  Krishna,  the  greatest  of  all 
Avataras,  appeared  and  He  brought  the  message  of  peace  and  recon 
ciliation.  He  laid  great  stress  on  the  fact  that  the  performance  of 
Vedic  sacrifices  could  lead  us  only  to  Svarga  Loka,  but  when  our 
merits  were  exhausted,  we  were  bound  to  be  born  again  on  Bhur  Loka, 
our  Earth.  While  on  Earth,  we  form  fresh  Karma,  which  gives 
rise  to  other  births.  The  performance  of  Vedic  Karma  does  not 
therefore  free  us  from  the  bondage  of  births,  for,  as  the  Lord  said, 
there  is  object-seeking  in  these  performances.  Object-seeking /0r  one's 
own  self  does  not  find  a  place  in  the  higher  Lokas.  Its  highest  limit 
is  Svarga  Loka.  So  long  as  man  remains  self-seeking,  he  can  not 
transcend  the  limits  of  Triloki.  In  the  higher  Lokas,  there  is  no 
recurrence  of  births  and  re-births.  Once  you  are  translated  to  Mahar 
Loka,  you  live  for  the  whole  of  the  remaining  period  of  the  Kalpa, 
passing  through  a  gradual  evolution  to  the  higher  Lokas.  And  if  you 
form  a  devotional  tie  with  the  Lord  of  many  Brahmandas,  the  First 
Purusha,  even  the  Kalpic  period  does  not  restrict  your  existence. 
Liberation  is  a  relative  term.  It  may  be  from  the  bondage  of  births 
and  re-births  in  Triloki.  It  may  be  liberation  from  the  bondage  of 


[     241     ] 

Brahmandas  or  solar  systems.  Those  who  worship  only  material 
objects  remain  chained  to  this  earth.  Those  who  worship  the  dwellers 
of  Bhuvar  Loka  (Bhutas,  Pretas,  Pisachas  and  Pitris)  or  cultivate 
aspiration  for  them  become  allied  to  them  and  they  pass  only  to  Bhuvar 
Loka  after  death.  Those  who  worship  the  Devas  and  ,  cultivate  this 
aspiration  go  to  Svarga  Loka  after  death.  Those  who  worship 
Hiranya-garbha  go  up  to  Satya  or  Brahma  Loka.  Those  who  wor 
ship  the  Lord  of  all  Brahmandas  pass  beyond  even  the  Brahmanda. 

The  first  thing  that  a  man  should  do  is  to  transcend  the  limits 
of  Triloki.  This  he  cannot  do  as  long  as  he  is  self-seeking.  He 
should  therefore  perform  his  actions  unselfishly.  And  the  Lord  said 
as  follows : — 

1.  There  is  the  perishable  and  the  imperishable  element  in  us. 
Karma  or  actions  appertain  to  the  perishable  element.     The  perishable 
element   constantly   changes,   so  it  cannot  be  our  real  self  or   Atma. 
From   the   stand-point   of  our  real  self,   we   can  dissociate  ourselves 
from   our  actions,   which   relate  to  our  transitory  nature.     Here  the 
system  of  Sankhya  came  into  requisition. 

2.  But   by   this   discrimination,   we   can  not  forcibly  stop  the 
performance  of  actions.     For  the  actions  are  propelled  by   (a)   active 
tendencies  which  form  an  inseparable  part  of  our  present  nature,  and 
(b)  by  the  necessity  of  our  very  existence.     So  by  stopping  actions, 
we  force  the  tendencies  to  mental  channels,   and   cause  more  mischief 
by  producing  mental  germs   for  the  future.     And  we  cannot  stop  all 
actions,  as  some  are  necessary  for  our  bare  existence. 

3.  Therefore  we  are  to  perform  actions,   and  we  can  perform 
them    unselfishly,   if  they  are  done  from  a  pure  sense  of  duty.     We 
are  to  take  duty  as  a  law  of  our   very   existence.      Yajna  is  only  an 
other  name  for   this   law.     The  Lord  of  beings,  having  created  all 
beings  with  the  Yajna,  said  of  yore, — "You  shall  prosper  by  the  per 
formance  of  this  Yajna   and   this  Yajna  shall  be  the  producer  of  all 
desired  objects  for  you."     Yajna  consists  of  mutual  sacrifices,  as  all 
beings   are  dependent   on    one   another.     "  Think   of  the   Devas   by 
means  of  Yajna,  and  the  Devas  shall  think  of  you."     All  our  actions 
may  be  classed  under  duties — duties  which  we  owe  to  the  Devas,  the 
Pitris,  the.  sages,   the   animals  and    to  other  men.     If  we  perform  our 
Karma  for  the  sake  of  Yajna  only,  we  perform  it  unselfishly. 

4.  As  discrimination  is  useful  in  realising  the  real  self,  so  res 
traint  is  necessary  to  put  down  the  acquired  self.     The   tendencies    of 
the  acquired  self,  if  left  to  themselves,  prompt  men  to  ever  recurring 
actions,  which  again  produce  their  own  effects,  some  of  which  develop 

31 


[      242      ] 

into  fresh  tendencies  or  strengthen  the  pre-existing  tendencies.  So 
restraint  is  to  be  constantly  practised.  The  object  of  restraint  is  to 
free  the  mind  from  thoughts  of  the  object  world  and  to  fix  it  on  the 
real  self,  Atma.  Here  the  system  of  Patanjali  comes  into  requisition. 
But  the  system  is  to  be  accepted  with  this  reservation  that  Yoga  does 
not  necessarily  mean  renunciation  of  Karma.  It  includes  the  unself 
ish  performance  of  Karma  and,  for  the  average  humanity,  renuncia 
tion  of  Karma  is  harmful  as  an  expedient  of  Yoga.  Though  there 
may  be  some  who  do  not  require  Karma  for  themselves,  yet  they 
should  not  renounce  it,  if  they  want  to  set  an  example  to  others 
and  not  to  confound  their  intellect. 

5.  But  the  Purva  Mimansakas  say :  Vedic  Karma  is  all  in  all, 
and  the  authority  of  the  Vedas  is  supreme.  Here  Sri  Krishna  had 
to  assert  Himself  as  an  Avatara,  and  He  asked  people  to  accept  His 
own  authority.  He  said  there  was  self-seeking  in  Vedic  Karma, 
and  one  could  not  therefore  avoid  the  recurrence  of  births  by  the 
performance  of  Vedic  Karma.  So  Sri  Krishna  said  to  Uddhava  : — 
"  If  the  Vedas  say  that  men  attain  Svarga  by  the  performance  of 
Vedic  Karma,  it  is  simply  by  way  of  inducement,  and  not  as  point 
ing  out  the  supreme  end.  The  father  says  ;  *  Boy,  eat  this  bitter 
medicine  and  I  will  give  thee  this  cake  in  my  hand.'  The  boy 
takes  the  medicine  for  the  sweet  thing.  But  that  really  leads  to  his 
recovery  from  the  disease.  So  the  Vedas  mean  final  liberation  as 
the  end.  But  to  enforce  restraint,  they  hold  out  the  prospect  of 
Svarga,  which  is  most  agreeable  to  men."  (Elaboration  of  XI. 

21.  23.) 

Many  were  unwilling  to  accept  the  authority  of  Sri  Krishna, 
and  the  chief  amongst  them  was  Sisupala. 

This  was  the  teaching  of  Karma  Yoga  by  Sri  Krishna.  But 
the  unselfish  performance  of  Karma  is  not  all.  It  is  only  a  negative 
virtue.  It  purifies  the  mind  and  frees  it  from  the  taint  of  selfishness. 
The  mind  then  becomes  prepared  for  the  higher  planes  and  becomes 
fit  for  the  direct  influence  of  Isvara. 

So  Sri  Krishna  gave  to  His  disciples  the  true  conception  of 
Isvara.  He  told  them  Isvara  was  One,  the  source  of  all  existence, 
all  knowledge  and  all  bliss.  He  told  them  how  one  Isvara  pervaded 
the  whole  universe  and  became  thus  manifested  through  the  Universe. 
He  also  pervaded  all  beings,  and  became  manifested  through  these 
beings.  The  Universe  and  the  Jiva  were  His  Prakritis  or  bodies  as 
it  were.  The  Universe  body  was  eight-fold  in  its  character,  beginning 


[     243     ] 

with  that  most  susceptible  to  His  influence  and  ending  with  the 
division  most  obtuse  to  that  influence.  This  eight-fold  Prakriti  also 
entered  into  the  constitution  of  Jiva.  But  there  was  something 
more  in  Jiva, — the  consciousness,  the  knower.  This  element  was  Isvara 
Himself,  as  limited  by  Jiva  Prakriti,  or  Jiva  body.,  '  The  whole 
universe  being  the  body  of  Isvara,  His  knowledge  and  powers  were 
unrestricted,  whereas  the  body  of  the  Jiva,  being  limited  and  restricted, 
his  powers  and  knowledge  were  also  restricted. 

This  highest  conception  of  Isvara  is  not  adapted  for  all.  So 
Sri  Krishna  gave  the  conception  of  Isvara,  as  manifested  by  His 
powers,  and  as  manifested  in  Time  and  Space,  and  lastly  as  He  is 
manifested  in  the  human  body  with  four  hands  and  the  Crown,  sym 
bolising  His  lordship  over  the  whole  Universe. 

But  this  conception  of  Isvara  is  not  enough.  As  man  owes  a 
duty  to  all  beings,  the  performance  of  which  is  Karma,  so  he  owes  a 
duty  to  Isvara,  and  that  duty  is  Upasana.  All  beings  make  sacrifices 
for  one  another,  and  so  they  owe  duty  to  one  another.  But  Isvara  makes 
the  greatest  sacrifice  for  all  beings  and  He  holds  all  beings  close  to 
His  bosom  in  each  Kalpa,  that  they  may  work  out  their  evolution 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances.  He  waits  for  those  that  give 
up  everything  for  His  sake,  and  give  themselves  entirely  up  to  Him, 
so  that  He  may  bear  their  Karma  upon  Himself  and  hasten  their 
evolution  to  such  an  extent,  that  they  may  approach  His  own  state. 
As  Isvara  gives  Himself  to  the  service  of  the  Universe,  so  do  His 
Bhaktas  too.  Men  owe  the  highest  duty  to  Isvara,  and  this  they 
discharge  by  means  of  Upasana.  Upasan^  is  the  law  of  being  for 
all  Jivas,  when  they  reach  the  state  of  manhood.  Surrender  is  the 
essence  of  Upasana,  and  this  Sri  Krishna  taught  to  Arjuna. 

When  a  man  by  performing  his  duties  to  other  beings  and  to  Isvara 
becomes  purified  and  single  minded,  he  is  entitled  to  teceive  the  final 
teaching,  and  not  before.  And  Sri  Krishna  gave  that  teaching  at  the 
very  last  to  Arjuna.  He  said  that  Jiva  and  Isvara  were  one  in  essence. 
It  is  the  difference  in  Prakriti  that  makes  all  the  difference  between 
Jiva  and  Isvara.  When  all  the  bonds  of  Prakriti  are  broken  through, 
only  Brahman  remains,  the  one  reality,  underlying  both  Isvara  and 
Jiva.  When  we  become  fixed,  in  this  wisdom  all  is  Brahman,  and  final 
liberation  is  attained.  This  is  the  real  teaching  of  the  Upanishads,  as 
embodied  in  Uttara  Mimansa.  In  this  connection,  Sri  Krishna  pointed 
out  the  fallacy  of  the  Vaiseshika  system  in  attempting  to  know  the 
Attributeless,  through  the  attributes. 


{    244    I 

The  highest  wisdom  of  the  Kalpa  was  revealed  and  the  world 
resounds  with  all  glory  to  Sri  Krishna.  The  Rishis  and  Mahatmas 
took  up  His  work.  All  the  religious  movements  and  religious  writings 
that  have  followed  only  reproduce  His  teachings. 

There  was  something  however  wanting  in  these  teachings  as 
given  in  the  Mahabharata — the  relation  of  Sri  Krishna  to  His  own 
Bhaktas.  What  He  did  for  the  Universe  and  how  He  did  it  are  fully 
related  in  the  great  Epic.  But  what  He  did  for  those  that  had  al 
ready  given  themselves  up  entirely  to  Him,  who  did  not  require  the 
teaching  of  Karma,  Up^sana  and  Jnana,  who  were  His  own  people, 
who  knew  no  other  Dharma  than  Himself,  who  had  followed  Him 
through  ages,  and  who  simply  took  births  as  He  appeared  on  this 
earth,  what  Sri  Krishna  did  for  these  Bhaktas,  what  His  relations 
were  with  them,  are  not  described  in  the  Mahabharata  at  all.  The 
lordly  side  is  given  but  not  the  sweet  side.  The  picture  of  the  Lord 
edifies  and  overawes,  that  of  the  Lover  enchants  and  enthrals.  The 
Bhagavata  sings  what  the  Mahabharata  left  unsung.  That  is  the 
peculiar  significance  of  the  Tenth  Skandha  which  follows,  the 
Skandha  that  maddens  the  hearts  of  all  real  devotees. 


[    245    I 

THE  TENTH  SKANDHA. 
THE  BIRTH  OF  SRI  KRISHNA. 

• 

SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  1-3. 

Said  Suka : — The  goddess  Earth,  being  oppressed  by  the  heavy 
load  of  tens  of  thousands  of  Daitya  hosts,  who  were  born  as  arro 
gant  kings,  sought  the  shelter  of  Brahma.  She  took  the  form  of 
a  cow,  and  with  tears  running  down  her  cheeks,  piteously  related 
her  grievances  to  the  Lord  of  Creation.  Brahma  took  Siva  and  the 
Devas  with  him,  and  went  over  to  the  Ocean  of  milk  (  Kshira  Samu- 
dra ),  the  abode  of  Vishnu.  There  he  adored  the  Lord  of  Preser 
vation  and  heard  the  Divine  voice,  which  he  thus  explained  to  the 
Devas  : — 

"  Even  before  this,  the  Lord  knew  about  the  grievances  of  the 
goddess  of  Earth.  Go,  take  your  births,  as  parts  of  yourselves,  in 
the  clan  of  the  Yadus.  The  Lord  of  Lords,  by  governing  His 
Kala  Sakti,  shall  appear  on  the  Earth  and  relieve  her  pressure.  The 
Supreme  Purusha  Himself  shall  be  born  in  the  family  of  Vasudeva. 
Let  the  Deva  girls  take  their  births  for  His  gratification.  The  thou 
sand-mouthed,  self-illumining  Ananta,  who  is  only  a  part  of  Vasu 
deva,  shall  be  the  elder-born,  that  he  may  do  what  pleases  Hari. 
Bhagavati,  the  Maya  of  Vishnu,  who  keeps  the  whole  world  under 
delusion,  shall  also  incarnate  in  part,  as  desired  by  the  Lord,  for 
doing  His  work." 

Saying  all  this  to  the  Devas,  and  giving  words  of  consolation 
to  the  goddess  of  Earth,  BrahmS.  went  back  to  his  own  abode. 

Sura  Sena,  the  chief  of  the  Yadus,  ruled  over  the  town  of 
Mathura.  Hence  it  became  the  chief  seat  of  the  Yadu  kings.  It  is 
a  sacred  town,  the  constant  seat  of  Hari. 

Once  upon  a  time,  at  Mathura,  Vasudeva  drove  in  his  chariot 
with  his  newly  married  wife  Devaki.  The  marriage  presents  were 
innumerable.  Kansa,  the  son  of  Ugrasena,  held  the  reins  of  the 
horses  himself,  so  eager  was  he  to  please  his  sister  Devaki. 

On  the  way,  an  incorporeal  voice,  addressing  Kansa,  said  : — 

"  O  ignorant  one  !  the  eighth  child  of  her  whom  thou  art  now 
driving  shall  be  thy  slayer."  , 

The  cruel  Kansa  instantly  took  sword  in  hand  and  caught 
Devaki  by  her  hair. 


[      246      ] 

Vasudeva  pacified  him  with  these  words : — 

"Thy  virtues  are  well  known.  Why  shouldst  thou  kill  a 
female,  thine  own  sister,  at  marriage.  Death  is  certain,  this  day  or 
a  hundred  years  hence.  Man  takes  body  after  body,  under  the  action 
of  Karma,  as*  he  takes  step  after  step  in  walking,  or  even  as  the  leech 
takes  blade  after  blade  of  grass,  in  moving.  * 

As  in  dream  there  is  a  reflex  perception  of  what  is  seen  and 
heard  in  waking,  and  as  in  that  perception  the  man  forgets  his  former 
self  and  becomes  a  reflex  of  that  self,  so  a  man  gives  up  his  former 
body  and  becomes  forgetful  of  it. 

To  whatever  body  the  mind  is  drawn  by  fruit — bearing  Karma, 
the  Jiva  assumes  that  body  as  its  own. 

The  wind  shakes  the  water  and  the  Sun  or  moon,  reflected  on 
its  bosom,  appears  as  if  shaken.  So  by  ascription,  the  Purusha  has 
the  attributes  of  the  body.  He  who  does  evil  to  another  has  to  fear 
evil  from  others. 

This  girl,  thy  younger  sister,  is  motionless  with  fear.  Thou 
art  not  entitled  to  kill  her." 

But  persuation  was  of  no  avail,  as  Kansa  was  under  the  influ 
ence  of  the  Daityas. 

Vasudeva  then  thought  how  he  could  ward  off  the  present 
danger,  leaving  the  future  to  take  care  of  itself. 

Addressing  Kansa  he  said  : — 

"  But,  O  King,  thou  hast  no  fear  from  her :  Surely  I  would 
make  over  to  thee  her  sons,  from  whom  thou  hast  fear."  Kansa  desist 
ed  from  his  cruel  act  and  Vasudeva  went  home  with  his  bride, 
pleased  for  the  time  being. 

In  time  Devaki  brought  forth  eight  sons  and  one  daughter. 

The  truthful  Vasudeva  presented  his  first  son  Kirtimat  to 
Kansa.  The  king  admired  the  firmness  of  his  brother-in-law  and 
smilingly  said  : — "  Take  back  this  child.  I  have  no  fear  from  him. 
From  your  eighth  born  my  death  is  ordained."  "  So  let  it  be " 
exclaimed  Vasudeva,  and  he  took  back  his  son.  But  he  had  very 
little  faith  in  the  words  of  Kansa. 

Kansa  learned  from  Narada  that  Nanda,  Vasudeva  and  others 
of  their  clan,  their  wives  and  even  the  clansmen  of  Kansa,  his  friends 
and  relatives,  were  partial  incarnations  of  the  Devas.  He  further 
learned  from  the  Rishi  that  preparations  were  being  made  for  the 
killing  of  the  Daityas,  whose  power  menaced  the  Earth. 


[     247     ] 

When  the  Rishi  left  Kansa,  he  took  all  the  members  of  the 
Yadu  clan  for  Devas  and  every  child  of  Devakt  for  Vishnu  that  was 
to  kill  him.  *He  now  confined  Vasudeva  and  Devaki  in  his  own 
house  and  put  them  in  fetters.  He  put  to  death  every  son  that 
was  born  to  them. 

He  knew  himself  to  be  Kalanemi  who  had  been,  in  another 
birth,  killed  by  Vishnu.  He  fell  out  with  the  Yadus,  deposed  his  own 
father  Ugra  Sena  and  became  himself  the  King. 

With  the  alliance  of  the  Magadhas  ( people  of  Magadha  or 
ancient  Bihar)  and  with  the  help  of  Pralamba,  Baka,  Chantira,  Tri- 
navarta,  Agha,  Mushtika,  Arishta,  Dvivid,  Pfitana,  Kesi,  Dhenuka, 
Vana,  Bhouma  and  other  Asuras,  Kansa  tormented  the  Yadus.  They 
fled  away  to  the  kingdoms  of  Kuru,  Panchala,  Kekaya,  Salva,  Vidar- 
bha,  Nishadha,  Videha,  and  Kausala.  Some  only  remained  behind 
and  they  followed  the  behests  of  Kansa. 

Six  sons  of  Devaki  were  killed,  one  by  one,  by  Kansa. 

The  seventh,  the  abode  of  Vishnu,  whom  they  call  Ananta, 
appeared  in  the  womb  of  Devaki,  causing  both  joy  and  grief  to  his 
parents. 

Vishnu,  the  Atma  of  all  beings,  knew  the  sufferings  of  His. 
own  followers,  the  Yadus,  at  the  hands  of  Kansa.  He  summoned 
Yoga  Maya  and  commanded  her  as  follows.  "  Go  forth,  blessed  Devi  ! 
{o  Vraja,  which  is  adorned  by  Gopas  and  Gos  (  Go  is  ordinarily  a 
cow.  Gopa,  go  and  pa  is  a  preserver  of  cow,  a  cowherd.  Vraja  or 
Go-kula  was  the  chief  town  of  Nanda,  the  king  of  the  Gopas).  Rohini, 
wife  of  Vasudeva,  dwells  in  Gokula  the  kingdom  of'  Nanda,  Other 
wives  of  Vasudeva  lie  hidden  at  other  places,  for  fear  of  Kansa.  The 
child  in  the  womb  of  Devaki  is  my  Sesha  named  abode.  Draw  it  out 
and  place  it  in  the  womb  of  Rohini.  I  shall  myself  become  the  son 
of  Devaki  as  a  part  of  myself.  Thou  shalt  be  born  of  Yasoda,  the 
wife  of  Nanda.  Men  shall  worship  thee  as  the  giver  of  all  desires 
and  boons,  with  incense,  presents  and  sacrifices.  They  shall  give  thee 
names  and  make  places  for  thee  on  the  Earth.  Durga,  Bhadrakali, 
Vijaya,  Vaishnavi,  Kamada,  Chandika,  Krishna,  Madhavi,  Kanyaka, 
Maya,  Narayani,  Isani,  Sarada  and  Ambika— these  shall  be  thy 
names.  For  thy  drawing  out  (Sankanshana\  the  child  shall  be  called 
Sankarshana.  He  shall  be  called  Rama,  from  his  attractiveness 
(ramana)  and  Bala  from  his  uncommon  strength  (bala}" 

"<£n_ let  it  be,  Om!"  said  Bhagavati,  and   she  carried  out  the 
behests  of  the*<ordt      By   inducinS  the  sIeeP  of  Y°Sa>  she  removed 


£ 


[     248     ] 

the  child  from  the  womb  of  Devaki  to  that  of  Rohinl.    People  thought 
Devaki  had  miscarried. 

Then  Bhagavan,  the  Atma  of  the  Universe,  the  dispeller  of  all 
the  fears  of  his  votaries,  entered  the  Manas  of  Vasudeva  in  part. 
Devaki  bore  'in  her  Manas  this  part  of  Achyuta,  even  as  the  East 
bears  the  moon.  Her  lustre  being  confined  to  the  prison-room  could 
not  please  others,  even  like  fire  confined  as  heat  or  like  Sarasvati 
confined  in  the  cheAt  who  keeps  his  wisdom  to  himself.  Kansa  saw 
an  unusual  glow  round  his  sister  such  as  he  had  never  witnessed  be 
fore.  He  exclaimed  "  Surely  Hari  is  born  in  this  womb,  He  who  is  to 
take  away  my  life.  What  shall  I  do  this  day  ?  He  comes  on  a 
mission  and  His  energy  will  be  all  directed  towards  that  end.  Am  I 
then  to  kill  my  sister  ?  But  the  killing  of  a  pregnant  female,  my  own 
sister,  will  ruin  my  fame,  my  wealth  and  my  life.  By  the  perform 
ance  of  such  a  heinous  act,  one  becomes  dead  even  when  alive. 
Men  curse  him  for  his  evil  deeds  and  after  death  he  enters  the  regions 
of  absolute  darkness." 

Kansa  by  his  own  persuasion  restrained  himself  from  doing 
any  violent  act  and  he  waited  with  feelings  of  bitterness  for  the  time 
when  Hari  was  to  be  born.  But  whether  sitting  or  lying  down, 
eating  or  walking,  he  thought  of  Vishnu  and  saw  Him  everywhere 
in  the  Universe. 

Brahma,  Siva,  the  Rishis,  the  Devas  adored  Vishnu  in  the 
ivomb  of  Devaki.  "  True  in  thy  will,  attainable  by  Truth,  the  one 
Truth  before,  after  and  in  creation,  the  root  of  the  Universe,  and 
underlying  the  Universe  as  its  only  Reality,  Thou  from  whom  all 
true  sayings  and  true  perceptions  do  proceed,  Truth  Thyself,  we 
take  Thy  shelter." 

"  The  primal  Jiva  tree  stands  on  the  field  of  Prakriti.  Joy  and 
sorrow  are  its  fruits.  The  three  gunas  (Satva,  Rajas  and  Tamas)  are 
its  three  roots.  Dharma  (the  means  of  attaining  objects),  Artha 
(the  objects),  Kama  (desires)  and  Moksha  (freedom  from  desires),  these 
are  its  fourfold  juice,  the  five  senses  are  its  sources  of  perception,  the 
six  sheaths  form  its  chief  feature,  the  seven  constituents  of  the  phy 
sical  body  (dhdtus]  form  its  skin,  the  five  Bhutas,  Manas,  Buddhi  and 
Ahankara  are  its  eight  branches,  the  nine  openings  are  its  holes,  the 
ten  Pranas,  or  physiological  functions,  are  its  leaves  and  Jivatma  and 
Paramatma  are  the  two  birds  sitting  on  this  tree.  Thou  art  the  one  root 
of  this  tree,  it  ends  in  Thee  and  it  is  preserved  by  Thee.  Those  that 
are  deluded  by  Thy  May&  see  manifold  forms  in  place  of  TW  ^ 
self,  but  not  so  the  wise.  Thou  art  consciousness  itself  *  ^ 


249     ] 

of  the  world,  Thou  dost  assume  Satva-made  forms,  which  bring  joy  to 
all  good  people  and  woe  to  the  evil-minded." 

"  O  Lotus-eyed,  thou  art  the  abode  of  Satva.  Thy  votaries, 
by  concentrating  their  minds  on  Thee  and  by  resorting,  to  Thy  feet 
which  serve  as  boats  to  them,  make  an  easy  ford  of  this  Ocean  of 
recurring  births  (Sansdra}" 

"  O  Self  manifest,  the  Ocean  of  recurring  births,  which  is  formid 
able  and  unfordable  to  others,  gives  way  before  Thy  votaries,  even  at 
the  mere  touch  of  the  boat  of  Thy  feet.  So  while  they  cross  them 
selves,  even  without  the  boat,  they  leave  that  boat  for  others,  for  they 
have  boundless  compassion  for  other  beings."  (/.  e.  Thy  votaries  lay 
down  the  path  of  Bhakti.  Sridkara.) 

"  There  are  others  (followers  of  the  Path  of  wisdom)  who  consi 
der  themselves  liberated  (Mukta).  But  their  intellect  is  impure  as 
they  have  no  Bhakti  in  Thee.  By  ascetic  efforts  they  rise  to  (near 
about)  the  Supreme  abode,  but  (being  overpowered  by  obstacles) 
they  fall  down,  by  their  disregard  of  Thy  feet." 

"  But  Thy  votaries,  O  Madhava,  never  slip  away  from  Thy 
path  for  they  are  bound  by  their  attachment  to  Thee  and  Thou  dost 
preserve  them.  So  fearlessly  they  tread  over  the  heads  of  Vinayaka 
hosts.  (The  Vinayaka  are  elementals  who  are  supposed  to  cause 
obstacles  to  all  good  works)." 

"  Thy  body  is  pure  Satva,  for  the  preservation  of  the  Uni 
verse.  That  body  becomes  the  means  of  attaining  the  fruits  of 
(devotional  ?)  karma.  It  is  by  reason  of  that  body  that  men  are  able  to 
worship  Thee  by  means  of  Veda,  Kriya  Yoga,  Tapas  and  Samadhi." 
(  There  could  be  no  worship,  if  no  body  had  been  assumed.  Hence 
there  could  be  no  attainment  of  the  fruits  of  Karma ,  Sttdhara.  This 
is  not  intelligible,  if  ordinary  Karma  is  meant.) 

"  If  this  Satva  body  of  Thine  had  not  existed,  direct' perception 
would  not  be  possible.  For  through  Thy  manifestations  in  (the 
world  of )  the  Gunas,  thoughts  can  (at  last)  reach  Thee.  The  Gunas 
only  relate  to  Thee  and  are  themselves  manifested  by  Thee."  (By 
devotion  to  the  pure  Satva  body,  the  mind  partakes  of  its  character 
*.  e.  becomes  purely  Satvic.  Then  by  the  favor  of  Vishnu,  there  is 
direct  perception,  i.  e.  the  form  is  not  the  object  of  direct  perception 
but  the  means  of  direct  perception.  But  these  forms  only  serve  the 
purpose  of  devotion.  The  Purusha  can  not  be  known  by  these  forms, 
Hence  the  following  Sloka,  Srtdhara). 
32 


"  Thy  Name  (nama)  and  Thy  Form  (rupa)  are  not  however 
to  be  known  by  Thy  attributes,  births  and  deeds.  For  Thou  art  their 
Seer  and  Thy  Path  is  beyond  the  reach  of  Manas  and  speech.  Still 
in  the  act  of  devotion,  Thy  votaries  realise  Thee.  By  hearing,  utter 
ing,  causing  others  to  remember  and  by  meditating  on  Thy  blessed 
names  and  forms  in  devotional  practices,  one  becomes  fixed  in  mind 
on  Thy  Lotus  Feet  and  does  not  then  stand  the  chance  of  another 
birth." 

"  By  Thy  birth,  the  pressure  on  the  Earth  is  removed.  The 
marks  of  Thy  feet  already  adorn  her.  Heaven  and  Earth  look  favor 
ed  by  Thee." 

"  What  else  can  be  the  cause  of  Thy  birth  but  a  mere  fancy  on 
Thy  part,  for  even  the  birth,  life  and  death  of  Jiv£tmas  are  but  seeming 
things  caused  by  Thy  Avidya." 

"  The  Fish,  the  Horse,  the  Tortoise,  the  Man  Lion,  the  Boar,  the 
Swan,  in  these  and  in  Kings,  Brahmanas  and  wise  men,  Thou  hast 
incarnated.  As  thou  dost  preserve  us  and  preserve  this  Triloki,  so 
dost  Thou  take  away  the  load  from  off  the  Earth.  Our  salutations 
to  Thee." 

"  And  mother  Devaki,  the  Great  Purusha  Himself  is  in  Thy 
womb  in  part,  for  our  good.  Fear  not  then  from  Kansa,  whose  death 
is  near  at  hand.  Thy  Son  shall  be  the  Saviour  of  the  Yadus." 

Having  thus  adored  the  Lord,  the  Devas  left  the  place. 

In  time,  when  all  nature  looked  still  and  there  was  joy  in  heav 
en  and  earth,  Sri  Krishna  was  born  under  the  influence  of  the  Rohini 
constellation.  It  was  all  dark  at  dead  of  night.  He  had  four  hands 
bearing  Sankha,  Chakra,  Gada,  and  Padma.  The  mark  of  Srivatsa 
the  Koustubha  gem,  the  yellow  cloth,  the  crown  on  the  head  glittering 
with  stones,  the  brilliant  ear-rings  all  marked  Him  out  as  the  Purusha, 
and  Vasudeva  and  Devaki  adored  Him  as  such.  Devaki  asked  him 
to  withdraw  his  lordly  form  with  four  hands. 

Said  Bhagavan,  addressing  Devaki. 

"  In  the  Svayambhuva  Manvantara,  thou  wert  called  Prism", 
and  this  Vasudeva,  Prajapati  Sutapas.  Commanded  by  Brahma  to 
beget  progeny,  thou  didst  make  auste<re  Tapas  and  prayed  for  a  son 
even  like  unto  my  own  self.  So  I  was  born  of  thee  as  Prisni-Garbha. 
This  was  my  first  Incarnation.  When  you  two  were  Aditi  and  Ka- 
syapa,  I  was  born  of  you  as  Upendra,  otherwised  called  V^mana  (the 


t  251  ] 

Dwarf).  This  was  my  second  Incarnation.  In  this  my  third  Incar 
nation,  I  am  again  born  unto  you.  This  form  is  shown  to  thee  to  remind 
thee  of  those  previous  births.  Thou  shalt  attain  my  supreme  state  by 
meditating  on  me  both  as  a  son  and  as  Brahma." 

Then  He  assumed  the  form  of  an  ordinary  child.  . 

Directed  by  Him,*  Vasudeva  took  Him  to  Vraja,  the  Kingdom 
of  Nanda.  The  fetters  loosened.  The  gate  opened  wide.  The  gate 
keepers  fell  into  deep  sleep.  Though  there  was  a  heavy  downpour  of 
rain,  the  serpent  Sesha  gave  shelter  under  his  thousand  hoods.  The 
river  Yamuna,  deep  in  flood,  fretting  and  foaming  under  the  storm, 
made  way  for  Vasudeva.  The  Gopas  were  all  fast  asleep  in  Vraja. 
Vasudeva  placed  his  own  son  by  the  side  of  Yasoda  and  took  her 
new  born  daughter  away  and  placed  her  near  Devaki.  He  then  put 
on  his  fetters  and  remained  confined  as  before.  Yasoda  knew  that 
she  had  a  child,  but  the  labour  pains  and  sleep  made  her  quite  forget 
the  sex  of  the  child. 

COUNSEL  WITH  THE  DAITYAS. 
SKANDHA  X.   CHAP.  4. 

The  gates  closed  again,  the  gate-keepers  woke  up  and,  on  hear 
ing  a  child's  voice,  they  forthwith  informed  their  King.  Kansa  had 
been  anxiously  waiting  for  the  birth  of  this  child.  So  he  lost  no  time 
in  getting  up  and  appearing  before  Devaki.  He  snatched  away  the 
child  from  her.  Devaki  remonstrated  with  her  brother  praying  for  the 
life  of  her  daughter.  Kansa  heeded  not  her  words.  He  raised  the 
child  aloft  and  cast  it  down  to  strike  it  against  a  stone.  The  child  slip 
ped  away  from  his  hands,  and  rose  high  up.  This  younger  born  of 
Vishnu  appeared  with  eight  hands,  bearing  eight  weapons, — Dhanus 
(bow)  Sula  (spear)  Isha  (arrow;,  Charma  (hide  protector),  Asi 
(  sword  ),  Sankha  (  conch  ),  Chakra  (  Disc  ),  and  Gada  (  club  ).  She 
had  divine  garlands  and  garments  and  was  adorned  with  ornaments. 
Siddhas,  Charanas,  Gandharvas,  Apsarases,  Kinnaras  and  Nagas  wor 
shiped  her  with  profuse  offerings. 

"  Fool  that  thou  art "  she  thundered  forth,  "  What  if  I  am  killed. 
He  who  shall  make  an  end  of  thee,  thy  former  enemy,  is  born  some 
where  else.  Do  not  kill  other  children  in  vain." 

The  Goddess  Maya  then  became  known  by  different  names  in 
different  parts  of  the  earth. 


[      252      ] 

Kansa  was  wonder-struck.  He  removed  the  fetters  of  Vasu- 
deva  and  Devakl  and  begged  their  pardon,  saying,  "  Like  a  Rakshasa, 
I  have  killed  your  sons.  I  do  not  know  what  fate  awaits  me  after 
death.  Not  only  men  tell  lies,  but  the  Devas  too." 

Kansa  then  called  the  Daityas  together.  These  sworn  enemies 
of  the  Devas  heard  their  master  and  then  broke  forth  thus : — 

"  If  it  be  so,  O  King  of  Bhoja,  we  will  kill  all  children,  whether 
ten  days  old  or  not,  whether  found  in  towns,  villages,  or  pasture 
grounds.  What  can  the  Devas  do,  cowards  in  battle  ?  They  are  always 
afraid  of  the  sound  of  thy  bow.  Dost  thou  not  remember  how,  pierc 
ed  by  thy  arrows,  they  fled  for  their  lives.  The  Devas  are  only  bold 
when  they  are  safe,  and  they  indulge  in  tall  talk  outside  the  battle 
ground.  Vishnu  seeks  solitude.  Siva  dwells  in  forests.  Indra  has 
but  little  might.  Brahma  is  an  ascetic.  But  still  the  Devas  are  -ene 
mies.  They  are  not  to  be  slighted.  Therefore  engage  us,  your 
followers,  in  digging  out  the  very  root  of  the  Devas,  for  like  disease 
and  sensuality  when  neglected  at  first,  they  become  difficult  of  suppres 
sion.  Vishnu  is  the  root  of  the  Devas,  and  he  represents  the  eternal 
religion  (Sanatana  Dharma  i.  e.  Dharma  that  follows  the  eternal 
course  of  time,  or  is  based  on  the  eternal  truths  of  nature,  hence  eter 
nal  religion,  a  term  applied  to  Hinduism  proper).  And  the  roots  of 
Dharma  are  the  Vedas,  the  Cows,  the  Brahmanas,  Tapas  and  Yajna. 
Therefore  by  all  means,  O  King,  we  shall  kill  the  Deva-knowing, 
Yajna-performing  and  ascetic  Brahmanas  and  cows  that  supply  the 
sacrificial  ghee.  Brahmanas,  Cows,  Vedas,  asceticism,  truth,  restraint 
of  the  senses,  restraint  of  the  mind,  faith,  kindness,  forbearance  and 
sacrifices — these  are  the  parts  of  Vishnu's  body.  Therefore  the  best 
way  to  kill  him  is  to  kill  these.  Vishnu,  who  pervades  all  hearts,  is 
the  guide  of  all  Devas,  the  enemy  of  A  suras.  He  is  the  root  of  all 
Devas,  including  Siva  and  BrahmA." 

Kansa  approved  of  this  counsel.  He  directed  the  K^marupa 
bearing  (i.  e.  bearing  forms  at  will)  Asuras  to  oppress  all  good  people 
and  they  readily  took  to  their  work. 


NANDA  AND  VASUDEVA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  5. 

Nanda  performed   the    birth  ceremony  of  his  son  with  great 
pomp.     His  gifts  knew  no  bounds.     Vishnu  was  worshipped  and  there 


[    253    1 

was  plenty  in  Vraja.  The  time  came  for  payment  of  the  year's  clues 
to  Kansa.  So  Nanda  left  Gokula  ( i.  e.  Vraja )  in  charge  of  the 
Gopas  and  himself  went  with  the  dues  to  Mathura.  Vasudeva  learned 
of  Nanda's  arrival  and  went  to  meet  him.  Nanda  stood  up  to  receive 
him  and  embraced  him  heartily.  Said  Vasudeva  : — 

"  Brother,  you  grew  old  and  gave  up  all  hopes  of  having  a  child. 
Luckily  a  son  is  now  born  unto  you.  It  is  indeed  a  new  birth  to  you, 
that  you  are  blessed  with  the  sight  of  a  lovely  son.  Friends  cannot 
live  pleasantly  together  as  their  manifold  Karma,  like  a  strong  wind, 
forces  them  asunder.  Is  it  all  right  with  the  big  forest,  with  the 
pasture  lands  where  you  now  dwell  with  friends?  Is  it  all  right  with 
my  son  (Balarama)  who  lives  at  your  place  with  her  mother,  and  who 
looks  upon  you  as  his  parent  ?" 

Nanda  replied  : — 

"  Alas  !  your  sons  by  Devaki  were  all  killed  by  Kansa;  even  the 
daughter  that  was  born  last  has  ascended  to  the  heavens.  Surely 
man  is  governed  by  the  unseen.  Those  that  know  are  not  deluded." 
Said  Vasudeva : — 

"You  have  paid  your  yearly  dues  and  have  also  met  me.  Now 
do  not  remain  here  any  longer.  For  evils  befall  Gokula." 

Nanda  left  Mathura  for  Gokula. 


PUT AN A 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  6. 

With  evil  forebodings,  Nanda  made  his  way  to  Vraja,  for  he 
thought  Vasudeva  would  not  tell  a  lie.  And  he  was  right.  By 
Kansa's  orders,  the  fierce  Putana  went  about  killing  children  in  towns, 
villages  and  pasture  lands,  for  verily  she  was  a  killer  of  children. 
That  wanderer  of  the  skies  entered  Gokula  at  will,  assuming  the  form 
of  a  woman  most  beautiful  to  look  at.  So  no  one  stopped  her  pass 
age.  She  moved  freely  here  and  there  and  at  last  entered  the  house 
of  Nanda.  She  looked  like  a  kind  mother  and  YasodA  and  Rohini 
were  so  much  struck  by  her  fine  exterior  that  they  did  not  stop  her 
access  to  Krishna.  Putan&  placed  the  child  on  her  lap  and  gave  him 
milk  from  her  breast  full  of  deadly  poison.  The  divine  child  knew  who 
Putana  was  and  what  she  was  about.  He  held  fast  her  breast  with 
both  hands  and  in  anger  drank  in  the  very  life  juice  of  the  Asura 


[     254    1 

woman.  She  screamed  forth  "  Let  go  ",  "  Let  go  ",  "  No  more  ".  Her 
eyes  expanded.  She  cast  up  and  down  her  hands  and  feet  again  and 
again  in  profuse  perspiration.  Her  groans  made  heaven  and  earth 
tremble  and  space  itself  resounded  on  all  sides.  At  last  she  fell  dead 
like  a  great  mountain,  crushing  down  trees  within  an  ambit  of  twelve 
miles.  Fearlessly  the  boy  played  on  her  body. 

The  Gopa  ladies  hurried  to  the  place  with  Rohini  and  Yasdda. 
They  bathed  the  boy  in  cows'  urine  and  dust  from  cow's  feet.  They 
pronounced  the  twelve  names  of  Vishnu  (Kesava  and  others)  over  twelve 
parts  of  his  body.  Then  after  touching  water,  they  duly  uttered  the 
root  mantras  over  their  own  body  and  that  of  the  child.  Lastly  they 
invoked  Vishnu  by  different  names  to  protect  the  child  from  danger 
of  all  sorts.  (The  protective  mantra  uttered  by  the  mother  with  passes 
of  the  hand  over  different  parts  of  the  body  was  supposed  to  shield 
the  child  from  danger.  Latterly  the  custom  has  been  to  get  the  mantra 
written,  with  due  ceremonies,  by  a  qualified  Brahman,  on  the  sacred 
bark  (Bhurja)  and  then  to  tie  it  round  the  hand.) 

Yasoda  then  placed  the  child  on  her  lap  and  gave  him  milk. 

By  this  time  Nanda  had  returned  to  Vrindabana.  He  saw  the 
huge  body  of  the  Asura  woman  and  realised  the  force  of  Vasudeva's 

warning. 

• 
The  people  of  Vraja  cut  the  body  into  parts  and  burnt  them 

with  fuel.     The  smoke  was  sweet-scented,  as  the  touch  of  Krishna's 
body  purifies  even  the  enemy. 


THE  UPTURNING  OF  THE  CART. 
'  SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  7. 

The  ceremony  observable  on  the  child  being  able  to  stand  on 
his  legs  and  the  birth-day  ceremony  were  observed  together  and  there 
was  a  great  feast  at  the  house  of  Nanda.  Yasoda  placed  the  child 
near  a  cart,  containing  brass  vessels  with  articles  of  food,  and  became 
busily  engaged  in  receiving  her  guests.  The  child  wept  but  she  did 
not  hear.  He  then  raised  his  feet  aloft,  weeping  for  his  mother's  milk, 
and  struck  the  cart  with  his  feet.  The  cart  was  upset,  the  brass 
vessels  broken  and  the  wheel  and  axle  upturned.  The  Gopa  ladies 
could  not  account  for  this  wonderful  phenomenon.  The  boys,  who 
sat  near  the  child,  told  all  that  they  saw,  but  people  could  not  easily 
believe  what  they  said. 


[    255    ] 

TRINAVARTA  OR  THE  WHIRLWIND. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  7. 

The  child  was  once  on  the  lap  of  Yasoda  when  he  suddenly  became 
so  heavy  that  Yasoda  had  to  throw  him  on  the  ground*.  The  Asur-a 
Trinavarta  or  Whirlwincf  made  an  attack  on  the  child  and  a  violent 
dust  storm  overtook  Gokula.  The  Asura  had  scarcely  raised  Krishna 
to  a  certain  height,  when  his  weight  almost  crushed  him  to  death. 
Krishna  did  not  let  go  his  hold  and  the  Asura  breathed  his  last  and 
fell  dead.  Yasoda  kissed  her  son  again  and  again,  but  when  he 
opened  His  mouth,  the  mother  saw  the  whole  Universe  within  it. 


THE  NAMES  "KRISHNA"  AND  "RAMA." 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  8. 

Garga,  the  family  priest  of  the  Yadus,  came  to  Vraja  at  the  re 
quest  of  Vasudeva.  Nanda  duly  received  him  and  said  : — "  You  are 
versed  in  the  Vedas  and  you  are  the  author  of  an  astrological  treatise. 
Please  perform  the  Naming  ceremony  of  the  two  boys.  "  Garga 
replied  : — "  I  am  known  as  the  priest  of  the  Yadus  and,  if  I  officiate  at 
the  ceremony,  Kansa  might  suspect  your  son  to  be  the  eighth  son  of 
Devaki."  Nanda  promised  strict  privacy,  and  the  Rishi  performed  the 
ceremony.  Addressing  Nanda,  he  then  said  : — 

"  This  son  of  Rohini  shall  be  called  Rama  or  the  charming 
one,  as  he  shall  charm  his  friends  by  his  virtues.  He  shall  be  called 
Bala,  from  possessing  excessive  strength.  From  his  bringing  together 
the  Yadus,  he  shall  be  called  Sankarshana. 

This  other  boy,  taking  body,  yuga  after  yuga,  had  three  colors, 
White  (Sukla),  Red  ( Rakta)  and  Yellow,  (Pita).  Now  he  has  got 
the  black  color  (Krishna).  In  the  past,  he  was  born  as  the  son  of 
Vasudeva.  So  those  that  know  call  him  Srimat  Vasudeva.  He  has 
many  names  and  many  forms,  according  to  his  deeds  and  attributes. 
Neither  I  nor  other  people  know  them  all.  He  shall  give  you  the 
greatest  blessings  and  protect  you  against  all  dangers.  In  days  of 
yore,  good  people  conquered  the  ill-doers  by  his  help.  Those  that  are 
attached  to  him  are  not  conquered  by  enemies,  even  as  followers  of 
Vishnu  are  not  conquered  by  the  Asuras.  Therefore  this  son  of 
Nanda  is  equal  to  Narayana  by  his  virtues,  powers  and  fame." 


[     256    ] 

PRANKS  OF  THE  BOY. 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  8. 

With  growing  childhood,  Krishna  became  very  naughty.  Once 
the  Gopa  women  made  the  following  complaints.  Krishna  would  un 
tie  their  calves  before  the  milking  time.  He  would  steal  their  milk  and 
curds  and  divide  the  remnants,  after  eating,  among  the  monkeys.  If 
they  did  not  eat,  he  would  break  the  pot.  If  he  did  not  get  the 
things  he  wanted,  he  would  curse  the  inmates  and  other  boys.  If 
the  pots  were  out  of  reach,  he  would  raise  himself  on  seats  or  husking 
stools  and  bear  those  hanging  pots  away  to  get  at  their  contents.  He 
would  illumine  the  dark  room  by  the  glitter  of  his  own  body  and 
that  of  his  jewels,  to  serve  his  purpose.  He  would  talk  insolently,  and 
spoil  the  ground.  The  Gopa  women  exclaimed  : — "But  now  how  inno 
cent  he  looks  before  you."  Krishna  betrayed  fear  in  his  eyes.  Yasoda 
would  not  beat  him.  So  she  only  smiled. 

One  day  Rama  and  other  boys  complained  to  Yasoda  that 
Krishna  had  eaten  earth.  The  mother  remonstrated.  "  They  have 
lied "  exclaimed  Krishna  "  Or  if  they  have  spoken  the  truth,  then 
examine  my  mouth."  "Open  it,"  said  Yasoda.  But  what  did  she  find 
within  that  mouth  ?  The  Seven  Dvipas,  the  planets,  the  stars,  the  three 
Gunas  and  all  their  transformations,  even  Vrindavana  and  herself. 
"  Is  this  dream  or  delusion  or  is  this  all  the  power  of  my  own  son  ? 
If  Thou  art  then  the  Unknowable,  my  salutations  to  Thee.  I  take 
the  shelter  of  Him,  by  whose  Maya  I  seem  to  be  Yasoda,  this  Nanda 
my  husband,  this  boy  my  son,  the  Gos  (cows)  Gopas  and  Gopis  to  be 
mine."  She  had  the  true  knowledge,  but  it  was  soon  eclipsed  by 
the  Maya  of  Vishnu  and  Yasoda  again  knew  Krishna  to  be  her  own 
son. 

Raja  Parikshit  asked  :— 

"  What  did  Nanda  do  that  Krishna  would  be  his  foster  son  ? 
And  what  did  Yasoda  do,  that  Krishna  should  suck  her  breast  ?  Even 
his  own  parents  did  not  witness  the  deeds  of  the  child  of  which  poets 
have  sung  so  much." 

Suka  replied  : — 

"  Drona,  the  chief  of  the  Vasus,  with  his  wife  Dhara  shewed 
great  obedience  to  Brahma.  *  When  born  on  Earth  may  we  have  the 
highest  devotion  for  Him."  Such  was  their  prayer  to  Brahma  and  it 
was  granted.  Drona  was  born  as  Nanda  and  Dliara  as  Yasoda. 


[    257    ] 

THE  TYING. 

SKANDIIA  X.  CHAP.  9. 

One  day  Yasoda  was  churning  curdled  milk  and  singing  the 
deeds  of  her  son.  Krishna  came  up  and,  desirous  of  sucking  milk, 
held  the  churning  rod.  Yasoda  placed  him  on  her  lap  and  gave  him 
milk  to  suck.  But  the  milk  that  was  boiling  on  the  oven  overflowed 
the  pot  and  she  hurriedly  left  her  son.  In  anger  Krishna  bit  his  lips, 
broke  the  milk  pot  with  a  stone,  took  the  fresh  butter  to  a  retired 
corner  and  there  partook  of  it.  Yasoda  came  back  after  a  while  and 
found  the  pot  broken.  Her  son  had  left  the  place  and  she  could  easily 
see  that  it  was  all  his  doing.  She  found  Krishna  seated  on  the  husk 
stand,  freely  dividing  the  contents  of  the  hanging  pots  among  the 
monkeys,  and  she  quietly  approached  him  with  a  stick.  Krishna 
hurriedly  got  down  and  ran  away  as  if  in  fear.  Yasoda  ran  after  him 
and  caught  him  at  last.  Finding  him  fear-stricken,  she  threw  down- 
trie  stick  and  tried  to  fasten  him  to  the  husking  stand.  The  rope  fell 
short  by  the  breadth  of  two  ringers  (say  two  inches).  She  added 
another  rope.  The  gap  remained  the  same.  She  added  rope  after 
rope,  as  many  as  she  had  of  her  own  and  of  her  neighbours,  but  could 
not  bridge  over  the  distance.  She  stood  baffled  at  last,  amazed  and 
ashamed.  Finding  that  his  mother  was  perspiring  in  the  effort  and 
that  her  hair  had  become  dishevelled,  Krishna  allowed  himself  to  be  fas 
tened  to  the  stand. 

THE  ARJUNA  TREES. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  10. 

The  Yaksha  King  Kuvera  had  two  sons — Nalakuvara  and 
Manigriva.  They  became  maddened  with  power  and  intoxicated 
with  drink.  Narada  passed  by  them  while  they  were  playing  with 
Gandharva  girls  stark  naked  in  a  river  bath  and  they  heeded  him  not. 
Narada  thought  how  best  he  could  reclaim  them.  "  Poverty  is  the  only 
remedy  for  those  that  lose  their  heads  in  wealth.  These  sons  of  the 
Lokapala  Kuvera  are  deep  in  ignorance,  insolence  and  intoxication. 
Let  them  become  trees.  But  they  shall  not  lose  memory  by  my 
favor.  After  one  hundred  Deva  years,  the  touch  of  Sri  Krishna  shall 
save  them."  These  sons  of  Kuvera  in  consequence  became  a  pair  of 
Arjuna  trees  in  Vrindavana.  , 

While  Krishna  was  fastened  to  the  husking  stand,   the  pair  of 
Arjuna  trees  drew  his  attention.     He  was  bent   on  making  good  the 
33 


[    253    ] 

words  of  N&rada.  So  he  approached  the  trees,  drawing  the  huskhig 
stand  behind  him  by  force  and,  placing  himself  between  them,  up 
rooted  the  trees.  They  fell  down  with  a  crash  and  lo !  two  fiery 
spirits  came  out,  illumining  space  by  the  splendour  of  their  bodies. 
They  prayed  to  Krishna  and  then  rose  upwards. 

The  Gopa  women  had  been  engaged  all  this  time  in  their 
household  duties  and  the  crash  attracted  the  attention  of  all  the 
Gopas  and  Gopis.  The  boys  told  what  they  had  seen.  But  some  were 
loath  to  believe  that  all  this  could  be  done  by  the  boy  Krishna. 


THE  FRUIT  SELLER. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  u. 

One  day  Krishna  heard  a  woman  crying  out  "  Come  ye>  buy 
fruits."  He  took  some  paddy  and  hastened  to  her  side.  The  woman 
filled  both  his  hands  with  fruits  and  lo !  her  basket  became  full  of 
gems  and  precious  stones. 


VRINDAVANA. 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  11. 

Seeing  that  calamities  befell  Brihat  Vana  (Vraja  or  Gokul)  so 
often,  the  elders  put  their  heads  together  to  devise  the  best  course  to 
adopt.  Upa  Nanda,  one  of  the  oldest  and  wisest  of  them,  said  : — 

"We  that  wish  well  for  Gokula  must  hence  get  away.  Evils  befall 
that  bode  no  good  for  the  children.  This  boy  was  with  difficulty 
saved  from  that  child-killing  Rakshasa  woman.  It  is  only  by  the 
favor  of  Vishnu  that  the  cart  did  not  fall  on  him.  When  he  was 
taken  high  up  by  the  whirlwind  Asura,  and  when  he  fell  down  on  the 
rock,  it  was  the  Deva  Kings  that  saved  him.  J  f  this  boy  and  others 
did  not  perish  when  they  were  between  the  two  trees,  it  was  because 
Vishnu  preserved  them.  Ere  this  Vraja  is  visited  by  fresh  calamity, 
let  us  go  elsewhere  with  the  boys  and  all  attendants. 

There  is  a  forest  called  Vrindavana  with  fresh  verdure  for 
cattle,  where  Gopas,  Gopis  and  Gos  will  all  enjoy  themselves.  The 
hills,  grass  and  creepers  are  all  holy  ther<e.  This  very  day  let  us  go  to 
that  place.  Make  ready  the  carriages.  Let  the  cows  precede  us,  if 
it  pleases  you  all," 


t    259    ] 

With  one  heart,  the  Gopas  exclaimed:— "Well  said  !  Well  said  !JJ 
They  prepared  their  carriages  and  placed  on  them  the  aged, 
the  young,  the  females  and  all  household  articles.  They  drove  the 
cows  in  advance.  They  blew  their  horns  and  beat  their  drums. 
Accompanied  by  the  priests,  the  Gopas  went  on  their  way.  The 
Gopa  girls,  seated  on  chariots  sang  the  deeds  of  Krishna  and  Yasod3, 
and  Rohini  attentively  listened  to  them. 

At  last  they  entered  Vrindavana,  which  gives  pleasure  at  all 
times,  with  the  carnages ;  they  made  a  semi-circular  abode  for  the 
cattle. 

Rama  and  Krishna  saw  Vrindavana,  the  hill  Govardhana  and 
the  banks  of  the  Yamuna  and  then  became  very  much  pleased,  In 
time  they  became  keepers  of  calves  (Vatsa).  They  tended  the  calves 
in  the  company  of  Gopa  boys  on  pasture  lands  near  at  hand.  They 
played  with  other  boys  as  ordinary  children. 


VATSA  OR  THE  CALF. 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  ir. 

One  day  Rama,  Krishna  and  other  boys  were  looking  after 
their  calves  when  an  Asura,  with  the  intention  of  killing  them,  assum 
ed  the  form  of  a  calf  (  Vatsa )  and  got  mixed  among  the  herd. 
Krishna  pointed  this  out  to  Balarama  and  silently  moved  behind  the 
Asura.  He  held  it  aloft  by  the  hind  feet  and  tail  and  gave  it  such  a 
whirl  that  its  life  became  extinct.  The  boys  cried  out  "  Well  done  ! 
Well  done ! "  and  the  Devas  rained  flowers  on  Krishna. 


BAKA  OR  THE  CRANE. 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  u. 

One  day  the  Gopa  boys  went  over  to  a  tank  to  quench  their 
thirst.  They  saw  a  huge  monster  in  the  form  of  a  Baka  (crane).  It 
rushed  forth  and  swallowed  Krishna.  Krishna  caused  a  burning  in  its 
throat  and  the  Asura  threw  him  out.  It  made  a  second  attack  and 
Krishna  held  the  two  beaks  and  parted  them  asunder  as  if  they  were 
blades  of  grass.  And  the  Asura  died. 


[      260      ] 

AGHA  OR  THE  SERPENT. 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  12. 

One  day  Krishna  was  playing  with  the  boys  in  the  forest. 
Agha,  the  youngest  born  of  Putana  and  Baka,  the  Asura  whom  even 
the  Devas,  rendered  immortal  by  Amrita^  dreaded,  burning  with  a 
spirit  of  revenge  at  the  death  of  his  brother  and  sister,  thought  of  killing 
Krishna  and  all  his  attendants.  He  stretched  himself  forth  as  a  huge 
serpent,  spreading  over  one  yojana,  the  extremities  of  his  open  mouth 
touching  the  clouds  and  the  earth.  The  Gopa  boys  took  the  Asura 
to  be  the  goddess  of  Vrindavana.  "  Or  if  it  really  be  a  serpent  open 
ing  its  mouth  to  kill  us,  it  will  instantly  be  killed  like  the  Asura 
Vaka."  So  with  their  eyes  fixed  on  Krishna  they  clapped  their 
hands  and  with  a  smile  entered  the  mouth  of  the  serpent,  even  before 
Krishna  had  time  to  warn  them.  The  Asura  still  waited  with  its 
mouth  open  for  Krishna.  Krishna  thought  how  he  could  kill  the  ser 
pent  and  at  the  same  time  save  his  companions. 

On  reflection,  he  himself  entered  the  mouth  of  the  serpent 
and  stretched  himself  and  his  comrades.  The  Asura  lost  breath  and 
breathed  his  last.  A  shining  spirit  emerged  from  the  Asura  body  and 
entered  the  body  of  Krishna.  Krishna  gave  fresh  life  to  his  comrades 
by  his  Amrita  bearing  looks. 

Krishna  killed  Agha  in  his  fifth  year,  but  the  Gopa  boys  who 
witnessed  the  act  said,  when  Krishna  entered  his  sixth  year,  that  the 
act  was  done  that  very  day. 

"How  could  that  be?"  enquired  Parikshit. 

Stika  explained  this  with  reference  to  the  following  story. 


BRAHMA  AND  KRISHNA. 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  13-14. 

When  the  Asura  Agha  was  killed,  Krishna  went  with  his  com 
panions  to  the  river  bank  and  said  :  — 

"  We  are  hungry,  the  hour  is  late.  Let  us  have  our  meals  here. 
Let  the  calves  drink  water  and  graze  on  near  lands."  The  Gopa  boys 
spread  out  their  stores  and  improvised  plates  for  eating.  While  they 
were  engaged  in  eating,  the  calves  strayed  away.  The  boys  became 
anxious  and  were  about  to  get  up,  when  Krishna  stopped  them,  saying 
he  would  find  the  calves.  He  left  his  companions  and  went  on 


[      261      ] 

the  search.  BrahmA,  who  had  been  witnessing  from  the  high  heavens 
all  the  deeds  of  Krishna,  even  the  killing  of  Agha,  with  wonder, 
wanted  to  have  still  one  more  manifestation  of  his  divine  powers. 
Finding  opportunity,  he  removed  the  calves  as  well  as  the  Gopa  boys 
to  some  secure  place  and  disappeared.  Krishna  could  not  find  the 
calves  and  on  returning  he  could  not  find  his  companions.  He  then 
knew  it  was  all  the  act  of  Brahma.  To  please  Brahma,  as  well  as  to 
please  the  mothers  of  the  Gopa  boys,  He  Himself  became  so  many 
calves  and  so  many  Gopa  boys  of  their  very  size  and  form  to  the 
minutest  detail.  The  mothers  thought  they  had  got  their  boys  and 
they  became  even  more  attached  to  them.  The  cows  thought  they 
had  got  their  calves  and  their  fondness  knew  no  bounds. 

Krishna  went  on  playing  his  manifold  parts  for  one  year.  Five 
or  six  days  remaining  till  the  completion  of  the  year,  Balarama  saw 
one  day  that  the  cows  were  grazing  on  the  summits  of  Govardhana, 
while  the  calves  were  grazing  at  some  distance  near  Vraja.  The  cows 
impelled  by  a  fit  of  attachment  breathlessly  ran  towards  the  calves 
even  those  that  had  quite  lately  brought  forth  younger  calves  and 
caressed  them  profusely.  The  elder  Gopas  who  were  in  charge  could 
not  restrain  them  with  all  their  efforts.  They  felt  shame  and  vexa 
tion.  But  when  they  themselves  approached  the  calves  and  their  own 
sons,  their  anger  melted  away  in  deep  affection. 

Balarama  thought  for  a  moment.  "  Never  was  such  love  wit 
nessed  by  me  before — this  attachment  for  calves  that  had  been 
weaned  long  ago.  The  people  of  Vraja  have  even  increasing  affection 
for  their  own  sons  even  as  they  had  of  yore  for  Krishna.  These 
calves  no  longer  appear  to  be  the  incarnations  of  Rishis,  their  keepers 
the  Gopa  boys  do  not  appear  any  longer  to  be  the  incarnations  of  the 
Devas.  They  look  all  like  thee  O  Krishna !  Wherein  lies  the  mys 
tery  ?"  Krishna  explained  to  Rama  what  had  happened.  Brahma 
appeared  after  a  Truti  (fraction  of  a  moment)  of  his  own  measure. 
He  saw  the  boys,  he  saw  the  calves.  He  could  not  make  any  dis 
tinction  between  those  he  placed  under  his  own  Maya  and  those 
brought  into  existence  by  the  Maya  of  Krishna.  The  foggy  darkness 
is  overpowered  by  the  darkness  of  the  night.  .  The  light  of  the  glow 
worm  vanishes  before  the  light  of  the  day.  To  delude  Krishna, 
Brahma  became  deluded  himself.  In  another  moment  Brahma  saw 
the  calves  and  the  boys  each  and  all  bearing  four  hands,  the  divine 
weapons  and  all  the  divine  powers.  They  shone  in  resplendent  glory. 
Brahma  became  overpowered,  stupefied.  Recovering  himself,  he 
found  once  more  Sri  Krishna  alone,  searching  for  the  calves  and  boys 


[      262      ] 

in  Vrinclavann.  He  fell  at  the  feet  of  Krishna,  again  and  again,  his 
four  heads  with  their  crowns  rolling  on  the  ground  and  with  tears  in 
his  eyes,  he  glorified  Krishna. 

(The  glorification  is  a  long  one.  Only  one  sloka  is  given 
here.) 

"  It  is  only  he  who  lives  on,  anxiously  looking  out  for  Thy 
favor,  bearing  through  the  workings  of  his  own  Karma  as  a  matter  of 
course  and  making  obeisance  to  Thee  in  heart,  words  and  body,  that 
can  get  the  heritage  of  Mukti  (As  one  must  be  living,  so  that  a  par 
ticular  heritage  may  vest  in  him,  so  the  Bhakta  must  keep  up  his 
individuality  to  get  the  heritage  of  Mukti)." 

Parikshit  asked.  "  How  could  the  people  of  Vraja  have  greater 
love  for  Krishna  than  for  their  own  sons  ? 

Suka  replied  : — 

"  Self,  O  King,  is  the  most  beloved  of  all  things — not  so  be 
loved  are  one's  sons  or  wealth.  Therefore,  O  king,  people  love  them 
selves- better  than  they  do  their  sons,  their  riches  or  their  homes. 
Those  that  deem  their  body  to  be  their  own  Atma  or  self,  love  that 
body  more  than  anything  else. 

But  the  body  only  becomes  dear  as  it  pertains  to  self.  It  can 
not  be  as  dear  as  self.  For  when  the  body  wears  away,  the  desire  to 
live  on  is  still  strong. 

Therefore  Atma  or  self  is  most  dear  to  all  beings  and  the 
whole  of  this  Universe  is  for  that  self. 

But  know  thou  this  Krishna  to  be  the  Self  of  all  selves,  the 
Atma  of  all  Atmas.  For  the  good  of  the  Universe,  he  also  looks  by 
Maya  as  one  possessed  of  a  body.  Those  that  know  Krishna  know 
that  all  movable  and  immovable  beings  are  but  His  forms  and  that 
nothing  else  exists. 

Of  all  things,  the  ultimate  reality  is  "  Existence  ".  Krishna  is 
the  reality  of  Existence  itself.  So  there  is  nothing  besides  Krishna." 

Here  ends  the  Kumara  Lila  of  Krishna.  The  Pouganda  Lila 
is  now  to  commence.  {Kumara  is  a  boy  below  five.  Pouganda  is 
boyhood  from  the  5th  to  the  i6th  year). 

END  OF  KUMARA  LILA 


[    263    I 
DHENUKA. 

SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  15. 

On   attaining  the   Pouganda   age,    Rama   and    Krishna   were 
placed  in   charge   of  cows.      Vrindavana   looked   gay   and    Krishna 
amused  himself  with  his   companions  in  the  forests.      One  day   Sri- 
daman,    Subala,     Stoka    and     other   companions     spoke   to    Rama 
and  Krishna  "  Not  far  off  is   a   forest  of  palm   trees  (Tala).      Tala 
fruits  fall  in  abundance  there,  but  one  Asura  Dhenuka,  with   many   of 
his  kin  obstruct  all  access  to  them.     The  Asura  has  the  form   of  an 
Ass.     We  smell  the  fragrance  of  the  fruits  even    from   here.     They 
are  very  tempting  indeed."  Rama  boldly  entered  that  forest  and   gave 
a  shake  to  the  Tala  trees,  and  Talas  fell   in  abundance.      Roused  by 
the  noise,    the    Ass    rushed    forth  and  kicked    R^ma   with   its  hind 
feet.      The    Asura   brayed     and    made  a   second   rush,   when    Rama 
held    it   by  the  hind   feet   and    whirling  it  round  in  the  skies  threw 
it  dead  on  the  trees.      The  kith  and  kin    of  the  Asura  then  came 
rushing    forth,    but    they    were    one   and  all  killed   by  Rama  and 
Krishna.      When  they  returned   to   Vrindavana  the  Gopis  who  had 
been  feeling  the  separation  went  out  to  receive  them  and,  being  pleas 
ed  to  see  them,  cast  bashful  glances  at  them. 


THE  KALIYA  SERPENT  AND  THE  FIRE. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  16-17. 

The  Nagas  or  serpents  made  offerings  to  Garuda  on  appointed 
days.  Kaliya,  proud  of  his  own  valour,  did  not  make  any  offering 
himself  and  snatched  away  the  offerings  made  by  others.  Garuda 
attacked  him  and,  being  overpowered  in  the  fight,  Kaliya  sought 
shelter  in  a  deep  pool  of  water  in  the  Yamuna. 

Of  yore,  Garuda  had  caught  a  fish  in  that  pool  of  water  and 
was  about  to  eat  it,  when  Rishi  Soubhari  asked  him  not  to  eat,  but 
Garuda  heeded  not  his  words.  The  wailings  of  the  fish  moved  the  tender 
heart  of  the  Rishi  and  for  their  future  good  he  cursed  Garuda  W1*" 
death,  if  he  entered  the  pool  any  more. 

Kaliya  knew  about  this  and  he  therefore  sought  protection  in 
that  pool  of  water  with  his  family.  The  water  became  deadly  poison 
and  even  the  adjoining  air  breathed  poisonous  death. 


[    264    ] 

One  day  Krishna  went  with  all  his  companions,  other  than 
Rama,  to  the  Yamuna  side.  The  Gopa  boys  and  the  cows  being 
very  thirsty  drank  the  water  of  that  pool  and  met  with  instan  t 
death.  Krishna  cast  his  amrita  pouring  looks  at  them  and  they  got 
up,  being  restored  to  life.  They  looked  at  each  other,  very  much 
surprised. 

To  purge  the  river,  Krishna  got  upon  a  Kadamba  tree  and 
jumped  into  the  pool  of  water.  Kaliya  fiercely  attacked  him  and 
stung  him  to  the  quick.  The  serpent  then  twined  round  Krishna. 
The  cows  wept,  the  Gopa  boys  became  senseless.  There  were  evil 
portents  in  Vrindavana.  Nanda  and  other  Gopas  came  out  in  search 
of  Krishna.  They  saw  him  in  the  grasp  of  the  powerful  serpent  and 
made  loud  wailings.  A  moment  after,  seeing  how  they  all  grieved 
for  him,  Krishna  eluded  the  grasp  of  the  serpent  and  moved  dancing 
round  him.  The  serpent,  somewhat  fatigued,  also  kept  moving 
with  its  overspread  hoods,  fixing  its  looks  on  Krishna.  Krishna  then 
got  upon  the  hoods  one  thousand  in  number,  one  hundred  being  the 
chief,  and  danced  on  them  putting  down  the  hood  that  tried  to  raise 
itself.  It  was  a  lovely  sight  and  the  Dcvas  sang  in  joy  and  rained 
flowers.  The  serpent  king  was  overpowered.  He  vomited  blood. 
His  body  was  broken.  In  his  heart  of  hearts,  he  sought  the  protec 
tion  of  Narayana.  The  serpent  girls  also  glorified  Krishna  and  pray 
ed  for  their  husband's  life. 

Krishna  said  : — "  Go  hence  O  serpent,  dwell  in  the  sea.  Men 
and  cows  shall  use  the  water  of  the  river.  You  left  Ramanaka 
Dvipa  for  fear  of  Garuda.  But  now  as  your  heads  bear  the  marks 
of  my  feet,  Garuda  shall  not  touch  you."  Kaliya  left  the  Yamuna  with 
his  wives  and  the  water  of  that  river  has  been  pure  ever  since. 

The  people  of  Vrindavana  embraced  Krishna  and  shed  tears 
of  joy.  They  were  all  so  much  put  out  that  they  stopped  that  night 
on  the  river  bank.  At  midnight,  a  fire  broke  out  from  a  castor 
plantation  and  it  surrounded  the  people  on  all  sides.  The  Gopas  and 
Gopis  cried  out: — "O  Krishna,  O  Rama,  we  are  yours.  Krishna! 
Save  us  from  this  fire.  We  are  not  afraid  of  our  lives,  but  it  will 
pain  us  to  part  from  Thy  feet." 

Krishna  ate  up  the  whole  fire. 


[    265     I 

PRALAMBA. 

SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  18. 

It  was  summer.     But  Vrindavana  was  cool  with  its  shade,  its 
water-spouts  and  its  river. 

Rama  and  Krishna  were  tending  the  cattle  with  their  compa 
nions.  An  Asura  named  Pralamba  disguised  himself  as  a  Gopa  boy 
and  mixed  with  the  other  boys.  The  All-knowing  Krishna  found 
him  but  he  feigned  friendship,  with  the  object  of  killing  the  Asura. 
Krishna  proposed  two  parties  for  play.  The  defeated  party  had  to 
carry  the  members  of  the  victorious  party  on  their  backs.  Krishna 
became  the  leader  of  one  party  and  Rama  that  of  the  other.  The 
party  of  Krishna  were  routed  near  the  Bhandiraka  forest.  Krishna 
carried  Sridamana  on  his  back,  Bhadrasena  carried  Vrishabha  and 
Pralamba  carried  Balarama.  Pralamba  ran  with  Balarama  beyond 
the  mark.  Balarama  suspected  something  evil.  Then  composing 
himself,  he  hit  a  blow  on  the  head  of  the  Asura  and  Pralamba  lay 
down  dead. 


THE  FOREST  CONFLAGRATION. 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  19. 

The  cattle  strayed  away  from  the  Bhandiraka  forest,  when  sud 
denly  there  was  a  fire.  They  ran  bellowing  into  a  forest  of  rushes. 
The  Gopa  boys  went  in  search  of  them  and  found  them  from  a  dis 
tance.  Krishna  called  them  out  and  they  responded  to  the  call.  At 
the  time  a  general  conflagration  in  the  forest  overtook  the  cows 
and  the  Gopa  boys  and  they  helplessly  turned  to  Krishna.  Krishna 
asked  the  boys  to  close  their  eyes.  They  did  so,  but  when  they  look 
ed  again  they  found  themselves  once  more  in  the  Bhandiraka  forest. 
Seeing  this  Yoga  power  in  Sri  Krishna,  they  knew  him  to  be  a  God. 
The  older  Gopas  and  Gopis,  hearing  all  the  wonderful  deeds  of  Rama 
and  Krishna,  knew  them  to  be  Devas. 

THE  RAINY  SEASON. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  20. 

The  rainy  season  followed  summer.   There  was  joy  and  plenty. 
(For  a  graphic  and    highly   poetical    description   of  the  rainy  season 
34 


[     266    ] 

please  refer  to  the  original.  The  details  of  the  description  are  some 
what  important  from  the  esoteric  standpoint  and  the  Season  itself  is 
suggestive  as  to  a  new  era  in  spiritual  development.) 


THE  AUTUMN.      * 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  20. 
The  AUTUMN  came  and  it  was  all  calm,  clear  and  transparent. 

The  clouds  disappeared.  The  water  became  pure.  The  wind 
became  gentle.  With  the  advent  of  lotus-bearing  Autumn,  the  waters 
regained  their  tranquillity,  even  as  distracted  Yogins  the  calm  of 
their  minds  by  fresh  resort  to  Yoga.  The  Autumn  removed  the  clouds 
from  the  skies,  promiscuous  living  from  the  animals,  mud  from  the 
soil  and  dirt  from  the  water — even  as  Bhakti  in  Krishna  does  away 
with  the  impurities  attaching  to  the  four  Asramas.  The  clouds  gave 
up  rainy  moisture  and  looked  beautifully  white,  even  like  Munis  who 
give  up  all  desires.  The  hills  sometimes  gave  pure  water  from  their 
sides  and  sometimes  not,  as  wise  men  pour  forth  the  nectar  of  their 
wisdom  sometimes  and  not  often.  The  animals  that  frequent  shallow 
water  did  not  know  that  the  water  was  subsiding,  as  deluded  men  liv 
ing  in  family  circles  do  not  realise  the  daily  expiry  of  their  lives. 
And  they  suffered  like  sensuous  men  from  the  rays  of  the  Autumn 
sun.  Day  by  day  the  soil  gave  up  its  muddiness  as  the  wise  give  up 
their  Mine-ness  and  the  creepers  got  over  their  immaturity  as  the  wise 
get  over  their  I-ness.  The  Sea  became  calm  as  a  Muni  no  longer  dis 
tracted  by  Vedic  performances.  The  farmers  stored  up  waters  in  the 
paddy  fields  by  making  strong  embankments,  even  as  Yogins  store  up 
Prana  by  withdrawing  it  from  the  Indriyas.  The  moon  gave  relief 
from  the  inflictions  of  sun-burning,  even  as  wisdom  relieves  the  mis 
ery  caused  by  connection  with  the  body,  and  as  the  sight  of  Sri  Krish 
na  removes  all  the  sorrows  of  the  Gopis.  The  clear  skies  gave  a 
brilliant  view  of  the  stars,  as  the  mind  purified  by  Satva  makes  mani 
fest  the  conclusions  of  the  Mim^nsa  Darsanas.  The  full  moon  shone 
above  with  all  the  stars  as  Sri  Krishna  shone  on  earth  with  the  circle 
of  Yadus. 

SRI  KRISHNA  AND  THE  GOPIS. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  21. 

Krishna  roamed  in  the  fresh  forest  with  the  cattle  and  his 
companions.  He  played  upon  the  flute  and  the  Gopis  forgot  themselves 


t  267  ] 

in  hearing  his  music.  They  saw  before  their  mind's  eye  the 
dancing  Krishna  filling  tlje  holes  of  the  flute  with  nectar  flowing  from 
his  lips, — the  peacock  feather  on  his  head,  Karnikara  flower  on  his 
ears,  his  cloth  yellow  like  gold  and  the  Vaijayantt  garland  round  his 

neck. 

» 

Some  exclaimed  : — "  What  better  could  the  eyes  feed  upon  than 
the  lovely  faces  of  Rama  and  Krishna,  with  the  flutes  touching  their 
lips  and  their  smiling  glances." 

Some  said: — "How  beautiful  they  look  with  garlands  of 
mango  twigs,  peacock  feather  and  blue  lotus.  In  the  assembly  of 
Gopas,  they  look  like  heroes  on  the  theatrical  stage." 

Others  said  : — "  What  did  that  bamboo  piece  of  a  flute  do 
that  it  should  drink  so  hard  the  nectar  flowing  from  Krishna's  lips, 
the  special  possession  of  the  Gopis,  that  nothing  should  remain  but 
the  taste  thereof.  The  water  that  nourished  it  is  thrilling  with  joy 
and  the  plant  of  which  it  is  a  shoot  is  shedding  joysome  tears." 

Some  said  : — Look,  O  companions  !  how  lovely  does  Vrinda- 
vana  look  from  the  touch  of  Sri  Krishna's  lotus  feet !  Look  there,  the 
peacock  madly  dances  to  the  tune  of  the  flute  and  other  animals 
stand  dumb  on  the  summit  of  the  hills  and  witness  the  scene.  There 
is  no  spot  on  the  earth  like  Vrind^vana." 

Others  said  .- — "  How  blessed  are  these  female  deer  that  in  the 
company  of  their  husbands  hear  the  music  of  the  flute  and  make  an 
offering  of  their  loving  looks  !  " 

Other  Gopis  said  : — "  So  tempting  is  this  form  of  Krishna  and 
so  alluring  is  the  music  of  his  flute  that  even  Deva  girls  become  lost 
to  themselves.  Look,  how  the  cows  drink  that  music  with  ears  erect. 
And  even  the  calves  stand  with  their  mothers'  milk  in  their  mouths, 
eagerly  listening  to  that  sound.  Those  birds  are  no  worse  than 
Rishis,  for  they  sit  high  on  trees  whence  they  can  have  a  full  view  of 
Krishna  and  with  eyes  closed  they  silently  hear  the  sweet  music  of 
the  flute.  Even  the  rivers  shew  the  love  transformation  of  their 
hearts  by  their  whirls  and  they  stop  their  course  to  embrace  the  feet 
of  Krishna  with  their  raised  billows  serving  as  hands  and  offering 
lotus  flowers  at  those  feet.  The  clouds  give  shadow  and  they  shed 
dewy  flowers  on  Krishna.  Most  fortunate  is  Govardhana,  for  Krishna 
drives  cattle  on  its  sides  and  it  makes  its  offerings  of  edibles  and 
drink." 

The  Gopis  became  full  of  Krishna  (Tanmaya). 


[     268     ] 

THE  STEALING  OF  CLOTHES. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  '22. 

In  the  £rst  month  of  the  DEWY  SEASON  (Agrahayana),  the 
girls  of  Vrindavana  worshipped  Katyayani  (a  name  of  the  Goddess 
Durga,  wife  of  Siva).  The  observances  lasted  for  a  month.  The 
girls  prayed  to  Katyayani  that  they  might  get  Krishna  for  their 
husband.  They  bathed  early  in  the  morning  every  day  in  the  river 
Yamuna.  One  day  they  left  their  clothes  on  the  bank  and  went 
down  into  the  river  to  bathe.  Krishna  took  away  their  clothes. 
He  asked  the  girls  to  come  up  and  take  them.  They  did  so  and 
the  clothes  were  returned.  Krishna  then  addressing  the  Gopis  said  : — 

"  O  virtuous  girls,  I  know  your  resolve.  It  is  to  worship  me.  I 
also  approve  of  it  and  you  must  succeed.  The  desires  of  those  that  are 
absorbed  in  me  do  not  bear  Karmic  fruits.  For  fried  or  burnt  paddy 
does  not  germinate.  Go  back  to  Vraja.  Your  object  in  worshipping 
Katyayani  is  gained.  These  nights  (/.  e.  on  nights  to  come.  Stidhdni} 
you  shall  enjoy  with  me." 

:o: 

KRISHNA  AND  VEDIC  YA]NA  (SUMMER  AGAIN.) 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  23. 

Krishna  went  over  to  a  distant  forest  driving  cattle  with  his 
companions.  The  summer  sun  was  fierce  and  the  trees  gave  shade. 
"  Look,  O  companions"  said  Krishna,  "  how  noble  minded  these  trees 
are.  They  live  for  others.  Themselves  they  suffer  from  the  winds, 
the  rains,  from  the  sun  and  frost  but  they  protect  us  from  these. 
They  do  not  send  away  one  disappointed.  They  offer  their  leaves, 
their  flowers,  their  fruits,  their  shade,  their  roots,  their  bark,  their 
fragrance,  their  juice,  their  ashes,  their  fuel,  their  buds,  and  what  not. 
Of  all  living  beings,  such  only  justify  their  birth  as  do  good  to 
others  by  their  lives,  their  wealth,  their  wisdom  and  their  words. 
(This  is  introductory  as  an  attack  upon  the  selfish  performances  of 
Vedic  Brahmanas.  Sndhata.) 

The  boys  became  hungry  and  they  complained  to  Rama  and 
Krishna. 

Krishna  said: — "The  Brahmanas  are  performing  Angirasa 
Yajna.  Take  our  names  and  ask  them  for  food." 

The  boys  did  as  they  were  told  but  the  Brahmanas  heeded 
them  not.  Narrow  were  their  desires  which  did  not  extend  beyoud 


[     269     ] 

Svarga.  But  'for  these,  they  went  through  elaborate  Karma.  Igno 
rant  as  they  were,  they^  thought  themselves  to  be  wise.  Yajna  was 
all  in  all  to  them  but  they  disregarded  the  Lord  of  Yajnas,  the  direct 
manifestation  of  Parama  Purusha.  They  looked  upon  Krishna  as  an 
ordinary  man  and  as  Brahmanas  they  deemed  themselves  to  be 
superior  to  Him.  They  said  neither  yea  nor  nay.  So  the  boys  re 
turned  unsuccessful  to  Krishna  and  Rama.  Krishna  smiled  and  asked 
them  to  go  to  the  wives  of  the  Brahmanas.  This  they  did.  The 
Brahmana  women  had  heard  of  Krishna  and  they  were  eager  to  see 
him.  Notwithstanding  the  protests  of  their  husbands,  brothers,  sons 
and  friends,  they  hastened  to  Krishna  with  dishes  full  of  eatables  of 
all  sorts.  The  ears  had  heard  and  the  eyes  now  saw.  And  it  did 
not  take  the  Brahmana  women  long  to  embrace  Krishna  and  forget 
their  grievances. 

Knowing  that  the  women  had  given  up  all  desires  for  the  sake 
of  seeing  Atma,  Krishna  said  smilingly  : — "  Welcome  O  you  noble- 
minded  ones,  take  your  seats.  What  can  we  do  for  you  ?  It  is  meet 
that  you  have  come  to  see  us.  I  am  Atma  and  therefore  the  most  be 
loved.  Those  that  care  for  their  Atma  or  self  bear  unconditional 
and  unremitting  Bhakti  towards  me.  The  Pranas,  Buddhi,  Manas, 
the  relatives,  the  body,  wife,  children  and  riches  all  become  dear  for 
the  sake  of  self  or  Atma.  What  can  be  therefore  dearer  than  Atma? 
Now  that  you  have  seen  me,  go  back  to  your  husbands.  They  have 
to  perform  the  sacrifices  with  your  help." 

The  Brahmana  women  replied  : — "  Lord,  thou  dost  not  deserve 
to  speak  so  cruelly  to  us.  Make  good  thy  words  (  "  My  Bhakta  does 
not  meet  with  destruction  "  or  "  He  does  not  again  return  "  Sridhara.) 
We  have  taken  the  shelter  of  thy  feet,  throwing  over-board  all  friends, 
that  we  may  bear  on  our  heads  the  Tulasi  thrown  from  Thy  feet. 
Our  husbands,  parents,  sons,  brothers,  and  friends  will  not  take  us 
back.  Who  else  can  ?  Grant  us,  O  conqueror  of  all  enemies,  that  we 
may  have  no  other  resort  but  Thee.  (  We  may  not  have  such  resorts 
as  Svarga  &c.  for  which  our  husbands  are  striving.  We  want  to 
serve  Thee.  Sridhara  )." 

Sri  Krishna  replied : — "  Your  husbands  will  not  bear  any 
grudge  against  you.  By  my  command  all  people,  even  the  Devas  (in 
whose  honor  the  sacrifices  are  made)  shall  approve  of  your  conduct. 
Direct  contact  is  not  necessary  for  love.  Think  of  me  with  all  your 
heart  and  you  shall  speedily  obtain  me." 


t  270  ] 

The  Br^hmana  women  returned  to  their  husbands  and  they 
were  received  well.  The  Brahmanas  repented.  But  for  fear  of  Kansa, 
they  could  not  go  to  Vrindavana.  They  worshipped  Krishna  at 
home. 

INDRA  AND  THE  RAISING  OF  GO-VARDHANA.      THE  INSTALLATION. 

(THE  RAINY  SEASON  AGAIN.) 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  24-27. 

There  were  great  preparations  for  Yajna  in  honor  of  Indra. 
"  What  is  this  all  about,  father  ? "  asked  Krishna  of  Nanda.  "  What 
is  the  outcome  of  this  sacrifice?  In  whose  honor  is  it  to  be  performed 
and  how?" 

Nanda  replied  —"Child,  Indra  is  the  Cloud-God.  He  will 
give  us  rains.  The  rains  give  life  to  all  beings.  Therefore  people 
worship  Indra  by  these  sacrificial  offerings.  The  enjoyment  of  that 
only  which  remains  after  sacrifice  conduces  to  Dharma,  Artha  and 
Kdma." 

Krishna  replied  : — "  The  birth  and  death  of  men  are  shaped 
by  their  own  Karma.  Happiness,  misery,  fear,  well-being,  these  are 
all  the  effects  of  Karma.  If  there  be  any  god  who  dispenses  the 
fruits  of  Karma,  he  must  also  follow  that  Karma  and  not  act  inde 
pendently  of  it.  When  people  are  governed  by  their  own  Karma, 
where  does  Indra  come  in  ?  He  can  not  undo  what  follows  from 
Svabhava  (Svabhava  is  Karmic  tendency).  Karma  is  the  Lord  and 
Karma  is  to  be  worshipped.  It  is  Rajas  that  works  the  clouds. 
What  can  Indra  do?  We  do  not  live  in  towns  or  villages  but  we  live 
in  the  forest.  Therefore  let  us  make  Yajna  offerings  to  our  cows, 
our  Brahmanas  and  our  hills.  The  preparations  that  you  have  already 
made  will  serve  the  purpose."  Nanda  and  other  Gopas  approved  of 
what  Krishna  said.  They  made  offerings  to  the  cows,  the  Brahmanas 
and  the  Hill.  They  went  round  the  Hill  to  shew  respect.  Krishna 
said  "  I  am  the^  Hill "  and  assumed  some  form  which  created  faith  in 
the  Gopas.  He  then  partook  himself  of  the  offerings  to  the  Hill. 

Indra  became  highly  incensed.  He  sent  forth  his  clouds  and 
winds  and  there  were  rains  and  thunder-storms  and  hail-stones  at 
Vrindavana. 

Krishna  carelessly  lifted  up  the  Govardhana  hill  with  one  hand 
and  the  people  of  Vrindavana  with  their  cows  took  shelter  in  the 
cave. 


t  271  ] 

For  seven  days  it  rained  incessantly  and  for  seven  days  Krishna 
held  the  hill  aloft  without  moving  an  inch. 

Baffled  and  surprised,  Indra  withdrew  his  clouds  and  winds. 
The  people  of  Vrindavana  went  to  their  own  places  and  Krishna  re 
placed  the  hill. 

The  Gopas  struck  with  wonder  approached  Nanda.  They 
related  all  the  previous  deeds  of  Krishna  and  then  referring  to  the  last 
incident  said  : — "  Look  here  this  boy  only  seven  years  old  and  there 
the  holding  aloft  of  this  big  hill.  We  wonder  whether  your  son  may  not 
be  the  Atma  of  all  beings."  Nanda  related  to  them  what  he  had 
heard  from  Garga  and  they  all  ceased  to  wonder.  Indra  and  Surabhi 
came  down  from  the  heavens.  Indra  fell  at  the  feet  of  Krishna  and 
glorified  Him. 

Krishna  said  to  him  : — "To  favour  you,  Indra,  I  caused  a  break 
in  your  Yajna,  that,  maddened  as  you  were  by  your  position  and 
powers,  you  might  not  forget  me.  It  is  only  when  one  is  blinded  by 
powers,  that  one  does  not  see  me  sceptre  in  hand.  I  take  away  the 
powers  of  him  whom  I  want  to  favor.  Therefore  go  now,  Indra. 
You  are  to  keep  to  your  own  station  and  do  your  duties  as  enjoined 
by  me  void  of  all  pride."  Surabhi,  the  divine  mother  of  cows,  thanked 
Krishna  for  the  services  done  to  her  children. 

She  said  : — "  O  Krishna,  O  thou  great  Yogin  whose  form  is 
this  Universe  and  who  art  the  root  of  this  Universe,  we  have  found 
our  Lord  in  Thee.  Thou  art  our  Supreme  Deva  O  Lord  of  the 
Universe,  thou  shalt  be  our  Indra,  for  the  good  of  cows,  Brahmanas 
and  Devas,  and  of  all  that  are  good.  By  the  command  of  Brahma, 
we  shall  install  thee  as  our  Indra." 

So  saying,  Surabhi  poured  her  milk  over  Krishna's  head  and 
Indra  and  other  Devas,  by  the  command  of  the  Deva  mothers,  bathed 
Him  with  the  waters  of  the  Akasa  Ganga.  They  all  called  him 
GOVINDA."  (He  who  attains  (Vinda}  as  Indra  the  Cows  or  Svarga 
(Go)  Sridhara.)  The  Rishis,  Gandharvas,  Vidyadharas,  Siddhas  and 
Charanas  all  joined  the  Inauguration  ceremony.  The  Deva  girls 
danced  and  sang.  The  three  Lokas  became  full  of  joy.  The  cows 
wet  the  earth  with  their  milk.  The  rivers  bore  streams  of  milk  and 
other  drinks.  The  trees  poured  honey.  The  cereals  bore  grains 
without  culture.  The  hills  brought  forth  their  precious  stones.  Even 
the  wild  animals  became  mild. 


KRISHNA  AND  VARUNA. 
KRISHNA  AND  THE  GOPAS. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  28. 

After  observing  the  fast  of  the  nth  Day  of  the  Moon,  Nanda 
went  to  bathe  in  the  river  Yamuna,  on  the  twelfth  day  of  the  Moon. 
It  was  still  dark.  So  the  Asuras  had  possession  of  the  hour.  An 
Asura  servant  of  Varuna  carried  Nanda  to  his  master.  The  Gopas 
called  out  to  Rama  and  Krishna.  Krishna  entered  the  water  and  went 
to  Varuna.  The  Lokapala  worshipped  him  and  gave  back  Nanda, 
excusing  himself  for  the  ignorance  of  his  servant.  Nanda  on  return 
ing  apprised  the  Gopas  of  what  he  had  seen.  Could  Krishna  be  any 
other  than  fshvara.  ?  The  Gopas  wished  ardently  that  He  might  take 
them  over  to  His  supreme  abode.  The  all-knowing  Krishna  knew  this. 
He  took  the  Gopas  to  that  portion  of  the  Yamuna  called  Bramha 
Hrada.  Plunged  in  the  waters,  they  saw  Vaikuntha,  the  supreme 
abode  of  Krishna,  far  away  from  the  limits  of  Prakriti. 


THE  FIVE  CHAPTERS  ON  RASA 

(AUTUMN  AGAIN.) 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  29-33. 

Silk  a  said  : — 

"Seeing  those  autumnal  nights,  gay  with  Mallika  flowers, 
Bhagavan  wished  to  enjoy  Himself  by  resort  to  Yogamaya. 

(It  looks  odd  that  there  should  be  a  show  of  conquering  the 
God  of  love  by  enjoyment  of  others'  wives.  But  it  is  really  not  so. 
For  you  have  "  By  resort  to  Yoga  Maya."  "  Enjoyed  though  self 
enjoy er,"  "The  subduer  of  the  God  of  Love  Himself,"  "With  enjoy 
ment  all  self  contained,"  and  such  like  passages,  which  show  absolute 
self  dependence.-  Therefore  this  show  of  RSsa  play  is  only  meant 
to  recite  the  conquest  of  Kama  Deva.  This  is  the  real  truth. 
Moreover  through  this  love  topic,  the  five  chapters  on  Rasa  are  cal 
culated  to  bring  about  a  complete  disinclination  to  worldly  matters. 
Sridhara. 

"  Those  nights  "  Go  back  to  V raja.  These  nights* you  shall 
tnjoy  with  me — the  nights  promised  by  these  words.  Sridhara?) 


[    273    I 

At  that  time  the  moon  had  appeared  on  the  horizon.  As  the 
lover  reunited  after  long  separation  besmears  the  face  of  his  beloved 
with  orange  coloured  saffron,  so  he  besmeared  the  face  of  the  east 
with  the  most  delightful  orange  rays  which  brushed  away  the  sorrows 
of  men  (charshani).  Krishna  looked  at  the  Moon,  the  lover  of  the 
Kumud  flower,  with  unbroken  disc,  glowing  like  the  face  of  Lakshmi, 
orange  red  like  fresh  saffron,  and  he  looked  at  the  forest  illumined 
with  the  tender  rays  of  the  Moon  and  he  indulged  in  song  so  sweet 
that  it  ravished  the  hearts  of  good-looking  women. 

Listening  to  that  passion-exciting  song,  the  women  of  Vraja, 
with  minds  absorbed  in  Krishna  rushed  forth  to  where  their  lover 
was  without  taking  notice  of  each  other,  their  ear-rings  moving 
violently  about. 

Some  left  their  houses  while  milking  the  cow.  Some  did  not 
wait  to  see  the  boiling  of  the  milk.  Some  did  not  take  down  boiled 
wheat  from  the  oven.  Some  had  been  giving  food  to  others,  some  had 
been  giving  milk  to  their  own  children.  Some  had  been  serving 
their  husbands  and  some  had  been  taking  their  own  food.  But  they 
all  left  their  work  half  finished.  They  gave  up  their  household 
duties  and,  with  clothes  and  ornaments  all  in  disorder,  they  hurriedly 
went  to  Krishna.  (Hearing  the  voice  indicative  of  Sri  Krishna,  the 
Gopis  became  strongly  inclined  to  Him,  and  they  showed  by  their 
acts  that  then  and  there  they  had  complete  disinclination  for  works 
that  had  the  three  Vargas,  Dharma,  Artha  and  Kama  for  their  object. 
They  left  their  half  finished  work  and  went  over  to  Krishna 
straight  Sridhara.} 

Their  husbands  could  not  keep  them  back  nor  their  fathers, 
brothers  and  friends.  Their  hearts  had  been  completely  charmed  by 
Govinda.  They  did  not  turn  back.  (Obstacles  cannot  overcome 
those  whose  hearts  are  attracted  by  Krishna.  Sridhara.) 

Some  Gopis  that  had  been  inside  their  houses  could  not 
make  their  way  out.  Their  thoughts  had  been  already  devoted  to 
Krishna,  and  now  with  closed  eyes,  they  held  Him  fast  in  their  minds. 

With  sins  all  removed  by  the  acute  pain  of  unbearable  separa 
tion  from  the  dearest  one,  the  K^rmic  effects  of  good  works  taken 
away  by  the  absolute  pleasure  caused  by  the  embraces  of  Krishna  in 
meditation,  with  their  bonds  completely  severed  at  that  very  moment, 
those  Gopis  gave  up  their  bodies  composed  of  the  Gunas,  even 
35 


[     274    ] 

though  they  united  with  Krishna  as  their  paramour.  (  How  could 
they  give  up  their  bodies  composed  of  Gunas  while  they  did  not 
know  Krishna  as  Parama  Atma,  but  knew  him  only  as  their 
paramour,  a  relation  caused  by  the  Gunas  ?  "  Even  though  they  &c." 
A  thing  is  not  dependent  for  its  properties  upon  what  another  thinks 
of  it.  Drink  nectar  without  knowing  it  is  so.  The  effects  are  there. 
There  is  another  difficulty.  The  Gopis  had  their  Prarabdha  Karma, 
or  Karma  that  brought  about  the  present  birth  and  its  surroundings, 
and  Prarabdha  is  exhausted  only  after  being  worked  out.  So  with 
the  bonds  of  Prarabdha,  how  could  they  give  up  their  body  ?  "  With 
their  bonds  completely  severed  at  that  very  time."  But  Prarabdha 
cannot  be  exhausted  without  suffering  and  enjoyment.  Where  were 
the  suffering  and  enjoyment  in  this  case?  "With  sins  all  removed 
&c.w  The  greatest  suffering  caused  by  separation  removed  all  de 
merits  and  the  greatest  enjoyment  caused  by  the  embraces  of 
Krishna  removed  the  bonds  of  merits.  Therefore  when  Parama 
Atma  was  attained  by  intense  meditation,  the  suffering  and  enjoy 
ment  of  the  time  completely  eradicated  Karma  and  the  Gopis  gave 
up  their  bodies  composed  of  the  Gunas.  Sridhara*} 

Asked  Raja  Parikshit  :— 

"  O  Muni,  they  knew  Krishna  as  only  one  enjoyable  and  not 
as  Brahma.  The  Gunas  were  mixed  up  in  their  understanding  of 
Krishna.  How  could  there  then  be  a  cessation  of  the  flow  of  the 
Gunas?" 

( Husbands,  sons  and  others,  even  they  themselves  were 
Brahma  in  essence.  But  a  devotion  to  them  could  not  cause 
Moksha  as  they  were  not  known  as  Brahma.  How  could  union  with 
Krishna  cause  Moksha,  when  he  was  not  known  as  Brahma  ?  There 
fore  this  doubt.  Sridkara.) 

Suka  replied : — 

"  O  King,  I  have  said  before  how  Sisupala  attained  Siddhi 
even  by  bearing  enmity  to  Hrishikesha  (controller  of  the  senses, 
Krishna.)  What  of  those  to  whom  Krishna  is  dear  ?  (The  purport 
is  that  Brahma-hood  is  eclipsed  in  the  Jiva.  But  Krishna  is  controller 
of  the  senses.  Brahma-hood  is  manifest  in  him.  He  does  not  require 
to  be  known.  Sridhara).  Bhagavan  -manifests  himself  for  the  Moksha 
of  men  though  in  reality,  He  is  without  end,  without  measure,  void 
of  all  Gunas  and  their  controller.  (Krishna  being  a  manifestation  of 
Bhagavan,  there  is  no  comparison  between  Him  and  other  embodied 
men.  Sridhara.} 


[    275    ] 

Bear  any  feeling  constantly  towards  Hari,  whether  it  be  a 
feeling  of  love,  anger,  fear,  affection,  kinship  or  devotion  and  you 
become  full  of  Him.  Do  not  wonder  at  this.  For  Krishna  is  the  Lord 
of  all  Lords  of  Yoga.  All  (even  the  lowest  life  forms)  attain  Mukti 
from  him.  When  the  women  of  Vraja  drew  near,  Krishna  addressed 
them  thus  : — 

"  Welcome,  ye  great  ones  !  What  good  can  .1  do  for  you  ?  Is  it 
all  safe  in  Vraja  ?  Tell  me  the  object  of  your  coming  here.  The 
night  is  fearful  and  dangerous  animals  are  treading  round.  Go  back 
to  Vraja.  This  is  not  a  place  for  women.  You  have  got  your 
mothers,  fathers,  sons,  brothers,  and  husbands.  They  are  seeking  you. 
Do  not  cause  pain  to  your  friends.  What  more,  you  have  now  seen 
this  forest  adorned  with  flowers  and  illumined  by  the  tender  rays  of 
the  full  moon,  where  the  trees  and  their  tender  branches,  gently  moved 
by  the  breeze  from  the  Yamuna,  stand  in  all  their  beauty.  Now  go 
back,  O  virtuous  girls,  speedily  to  your  homes  and  look  after  your 
husbands.  The  calves  and  your  children  are  weeping.  Go  and  let 
them  have  their  drink.  Or  if  you  have  come  here,  forced  by  your 
love  for  me,  it  is  only  meet  and  proper,  for  all  people  have  their  love 
for  me.  Devotion  to  husband  is  the  one  great  religion  for  women. 
They  are  to  seek  the  well-being  of  their  friends  and  to  bring  up 
their  children.  The  husband  may  be  wicked,  old,  diseased  or  poor. 
But  those  who  wish  for  higher  Lokas  should  not  give  up  their  hus 
bands.  The  connection  with  one  not  the  husband  is  disreputable 
and  unbecoming.  You  may  bear  love  to  me  in  other  ways  than  by 
such  a  near  approach.  Therefore  go  back  to  your  houses." 

The  Gopis  were  struck  dumb  for  a  time.  They  became  over 
come  with  sorrow.  They  had  given  up  every  thing  for  the  sake  of 
Krishna  and  they  could  ill  bear  to  hear  these  unkind  words.  At 
last  they  broke  forth : — "  O  Lord,  it  is  not  for  Thee  to  utter  these 
unkind  words.  We  have  given  up  all  objects  and  sought  Thy  feet. 
O  Thou  difficult  to  be  reached,  do  not  forsake  us  but  please  think  of 
us,  even  as  the  First  Purusha  thinks  of  those  that  seek  Moksha. 
Thou  speakest,  O  love,  of  our  duties  to  husbands,  sons,  and  friends 
as  if  thou  wert  a  religious  teacher,  but  thou  art  thyself  the  goal  of 
those  religious  injunctions.  So  let  them  rest  in  thee.  Thou  art  the 
greatest  friend  of  all  beings,  for  thou  art  verily  their  own  self.  What 
do  they  care  for  husbands  or  sons,  sources  of  misery  as  they  are,  who 
are  attached  to  thee,  the  constant  source  of  happiness  ? 

Therefore   do   thou   show   favor  to  us  and  permit  us  to  serve 


r  2/6  i 

Thee."  Moved  by  their  piteous  appeal,  Krishna  gave  his  company  to 
the  Gopis.  Proud  of  that  company,  the  Gopis  deemed  themselves 
superior  to  all  other  women  on  the  earth.  To  put  down  this  loss  of 
mental  balance,  caused  by  good  fortune  and  this  pride,  Krishna  sud 
denly  disappeared  from  amongst  them.  The  Gopis  became  disconso 
late.  Their  hearts  had  been  too  much  taken  up  by  the  gestures  and 
movements  of  Krishna.  So  they  imitated  his  deeds  and  even  called 
themselves  Krishna.  They  all  sang  loudly  together  and  madly 
searched  for  Krishna  from  forest  to  forest.  They  asked  the  trees  if 
they  had  seen  their  lover.  They  enquired  of  the  creepers,  the  earth 
and  the  deer.  Fatigued  at  last,  they  again  took  to  reproducing  the 
deeds  of  Krishna.  Some  played  the  part  of  Putana  or  some  other 
Asura,  some  played  the  part  of  Krishna  in  connection  with  some  of 
his  manifold  deeds.  They  again  made  enquiries  from  the  plants. 
They  then  found  out  the  footsteps  of  Krishna  marked  by  the  divine 
symbols  ("flag,  the  lotus,  the  thunder-bolt  and  the  goad).  Tracing 
those  steps  a  little  further,  they  found  they  were  mixed  up  with  the 
footprints  of  a  girl.  The  Gopis  exclaimed  : — 

"  Surely  this  girl  had  made  Arddhand  (devout  prayer  for  the 
Lord).  Govinda  left  us  that  he  might  take  her  to  a  secret  retreat. 
Sacred  are  the  dust  particles  of  Govinda's  feet ;  even  Brahma,  Siva  and 
Lakshmi  hold  them  on  their  head  for  the  extinction  of  sins.  Look 
here  we  no  longer  see  the  foot  marks  of  that  girl.  It  seems  Krishna 
carried  her  here  on  his  back  and  his  footprints  are  therefore  deeply 
marked.  Here  He  placed  her  down  to  pluck  flowers  and  touched 
the  earth  with  his  toes  only,  for  the  steps  are  not  fully  marked. 
Surely  he  placed  the  girl  on  his  lap  here  and  adorned  her  hair  with 
flowers."  And  what  of  that  girl  ?  She  deemed  herself  very  fortu 
nate  that  Krishna  should  shew  particular  attention  to  her.  With  this 
sense  of  superiority  she  spoke  to  Krishna.  "  I  can  not  walk.  Take 
me  to  where  I  like  on  thy  back."  Krishna  said,  "  Get  up  on  my 
back."  But  when  she  would  do  so,  Krishna  had  already  disappeared. 
The  girl  was  loudly  lamenting,  when  the  other  Gopis  joined  her. 
They  heard  her  story  and  became  very  much  surprised.  (It  is  necessary 
to  draw  the  special  attention  of  the  readers  to  the  girl,  who  had  made 
Arddhand  of  Hari.  She  is  the  Radhika  of  N^rada  Pancharatra  and  of 
later  day  Vaishnavism.  Radhika  means  literally  one  who  makes 
Radhana  or  Aradhana.  But  I  shall  not  touch  upon  her  in  a  study  of 
the  Bhagavata  Purana.  The  study  of  this  Purina  is  incomplete 
without  a  study  of  Chaitanya's  teachings.  And  if  I  succeed  in  taking 
up  those  teachings,  I  shall  consider  the  lofty  ideal  of  Radhika). 


[    277    I 

The  Gopis  all  returned  to  the  forest  and  searched  for  Krishna 
as  long  as  there  was  moonlight.  They  gave  up  their  search  when  it 
was  dark.  With  thoughts  all  directed  to  Krishna,  with  conversations 
all  about  Him,  with  gestures  and  movements  all  after  Him,  with 
songs  all  about  His  deeds,  the  Gopis,  all  full  of  Krishna,  they  did 
not  think  of  their  homes.  They  went  to  the  banks  of  the  Yamuna, 
and  all  sang  in  a  chorus  about  Krishna,  ardently  praying  for  his  return. 
(  I  shall  not  touch  with  my  profarre  hand  the  songs  of  the  Gopis. 
They  are  far  too  sacred  for  any  rendering  into  English  and  they 
baffle  any  attempt  to  do  so.  Sweet  as  nectar,  the  melody  of  those 
songs  is  inseparable  from  their  very  essence,  and  he  would  be  murdering 
Bhagavata  who  would  attempt  to  translate  those  songs.  For  the 
continuity  of  our  study  it  is  only  necessary  to  translate  the  fourth 
sloka.) 

"  Thou  art  not  surely  the  son  of  Yasoda.  Thou  art  the  in 
most  seer  of  all  things.  Implored  by  Brahma  thou  hast  appeared,  O 
friend,  in  the  line  of  the  Satvats,  for  the  protection  of  the  Universe." 
While  the  Gopis  were  thus  bewailing  in  melodious  tunes,  Krishna 
appeared  with  a  smiling  face.  They  formed  a  circle  round  Him  and 
were  so  pleased  to  see  Him  that  they  reached  the  very  limit  of  their 
joy.  The  Gopis  spread  out  their  outer  garments  as  a  seat  for  Sri 
Krishna,  on  the  river  bank.  When  Krishna  sat  down,  they  addressed 
him  thus : — 

"Some  seek  those  only  that  seek  them;  some  do  the  contrary, 
(i.  e.  seek  those  even  who  do  not  seek  them),  others  seek  neither  those 
that  seek  them  nor  those  that  do  not  seek  them.  Please  tell  us,  what 
is  all  this." 

Said  Sri  Krishna  : — "  Those  that  seek  each  other  are  guided  in 
their  efforts  by  selfishness.  There  is  neither  friendship  nor  virtue  in 
that  mutuality.  It  is  all  for  a  selfish  end.  (Even  the  beasts  seek  mutual 
good.  Sridhara.  And  do  not  the  Utilitarians  and  the  evolutionists  do 
so)?  Those  that  seek  the  unseeking  are  either  kind-hearted  men  or 
they  are  guided  by  affection  like  the  parents.  It  is  pure  virtue  in  the 
former  case  and  friendship  in  the  latter. 

Those  that  do  not  seek  the  people  that  seek  them  and  far  less 
those  that  do  not  seek  them  fall  under  one  of  the  following  four 
classes : — 

• 

(i)  Those  that  seek  pleasure  in  self  (and  not  in  the  outside 
world),  (2)  those  that  are  satiated,  (3)  the  ungrateful  and  (4)  the 
treacherous.  But  I  do  not  belong  to  any  of  these  classes.  I  do  not 


[      278      ] 

seek  those  that  seek  me  in  order  to  make  them  seek  me  continually 
and  constantly.  For  when  a  poor  man  gains  wealth  and  then  loses  it, 
he  becomes  so  full  of  that  loss  that  no  other  thought  can  enter  his 
mind  (/.  e.  to  help  the  continuity  and  constancy  of  the  devotional 
feeling,  I  do  not  show  open  favor  to  a  devotee.  This  is  an  act  of 
supreme  kindness  and  friendship).  You  have  given  up  for  my  sake 
all  worldly  concerns,  the  Vedas  and  even  your  own  relations.  I  seek 
you  from  behind,  being  out  of  sight.  Therefore  you  ought  rightly 
to  be  angry  with  me.  Even  with  the  life  of  a  God,  I  cannot  make 
any  return  for  your  devotion  to  me,  for  you  have  burst  asunder  the 
ever  fresh  chains  of  home  life,  in  order  to  seek  me.  So  let  your  own 
goodness  be  the  only  recompense  for  your  devotion." 

THE  RASA. 

Govinda  commenced  Rasa  with  his  devoted  band.  (Rasa  is  a 
kind  of  dance  in  which  many  dancing  girls  take  part.)  The  Gopis 
formed  a  circle,  and  Krishna,  the  Lord  of  Yoga,  was  between  every 
two  of  them  and  he  pressed  them  all  unto  his  shoulders,  and  each  of 
them  thought  that  Krishna  was  near  to  her.  (How  could  one  Krishna 
stand  between  every  two  of  them  and  how  could  each  Gopi  think 
that  he  was  near  to  her  only,  when  he  was  near  to  them  all  ?  There 
fore  "  the  Lord  of  Yoga "  /.  e.  of  unimaginable  powers.  Sridhara.} 
The  sky  became  filled  with  hundreds  of  chariots  of  Devas  and  Deva 
girls,  eager  to  witness  the  scene.  Drums  beat  and  flowers  rained. 
The  Gandharva  kings  with  their  wives  sang  the  pure  glory  of  Krishna. 
Loud  was  the  clash  of  the  Gopis'  ornaments.  They  danced  and  sang 
in  great  excitement.  The  moon  lingered  on  with  amazed  look  and 
the  night  became  prolonged.  So  the  dance'continued  till  at  last  the 
Gopis  became  fatigued.  Krishna  wiped  off  their  sweat  and  went  with 
them  to  bathe  in  the  Yamuna.  After  the  bath  they  most  reluctantly 
took  leave  of  Krishna. 

In  these  enjoyments  Krishna  was  self-contained. 
Asked  Raja  Parikshit : — 

"  The  Incarnation  of  fsvara  is  for  the  spread  of  Dharma  and  the 
putting  down  of  Adharma.  What  is  this  enjoyment  of  others'  wives, 
contrary  to  all  injunctions  and  hateful  in  itself,  by  one  who  is  at  once 
the  originator  and  preserver  of  all  Dharma  ?" 

Suka  said  : — Even  the  great  are  seen  to  violate  what  we  call 
Dharma  and  the  gods  become  over  bold.  But  this  does  not  bespeak 
any  evil  of  them,  as  they  have  got  superior  force,  even  as  fire  eats 
everything  but  is  ever  pure.  But  he  who  is  not  capable  (/.  e.  who  is 


t  279  ] 

a  slave  to  his  body  and  its  attributes)  is  not  to  perform  such  acts  even 
in  mind.  If  he  does  such  acts  through  ignorance,  he  is  sure  to  be 
ruined.  It  is  only  Siva  that  could  drink  the  poison  that  appeared  from 
the  ocean  of  milk.  The  words  of  the  Lords  (fsvara)  are  true.  Their 
deeds  are  only  sometimes  true,  (i.  e.  their  exceptional  'life,  which  1*3 
governed  by  extraordinary  consideration  and  unusual  conditions,  is 
not  meant  always  as  an  example  for  ordinary  beings.  But  what  they 
say  is  always  for  the  good  of  the  universe  and  is  to  be  followed  as  a 
teaching.  What  is  given  as  their  life  is  also  sometimes  allegorical 
and  has  to  be  understood  in  another  sense).  The  wise  man  therefore 
follows  such  of  their  deeds  as  are  consistent  with  the  other  words  of  the 
great  ones.  They  have  nothing  to  gain  or  lose  by  good  or  bad  deeds. 
For  they  have  no  Egoism  in  them.  What  is  good  and  what  is  bad 
to  him  who  is  the  Lord  of  all  beings?  By  devotion  to  His  feet  and 
by  power  of  Yoga,  even  Munis  are  freed  from  the  bonds  of  good  and 
evil.  The  Lord  did  only  assume  a  body  at  will.  Whence  could 
there  be  any  bondage  in  His  case?  (And  was  there  really  an  enjoy 
ment  of  others'  wives  ?  No  for  He  dwells  in  all  beings,  even  the 
Gopis  and  their  husbands.  He  is  the  manifestor  of  all  the  senses. 
The  assumption  of  the  body  is  only  a  playful  fancy.  It  is  for  the 
good  of  all  beings  that  He  became  a  man.  His  indulgences  are  such 
as  are  likely  to  make  one  devoted  to  Him,  when  heard  of.  Even  the 
minds  of  those  that  are  very  much  turned  away  from  fsvara  are 
attracted  towards  fsvara,  by  means  of  Sringara  Rasa  or  love  topics. 
Hence  the  love  matter  of  Sri  Krishna.  This  is  the  purport.  Sfidhata) 
The  people  of  Vraja,  deluded  by  the  May&  of  Krishna,  thought  that 
their  wives  were  by  their  side.  They  bore  no  ill-feeling  towards 
Krishna.  (It  follows  that  those  who  perform  such  acts  without  such 
powers  are  sinners.  Sridhara.) 

When  it  was  Brahma  Muhurta,  (the  part  of  the  night  immedi 
ately  preceding  the  dawn),  the  Gopis,  with  the  permission  of  Sri 
Krishna,  reluctantly  left  Him  and  went  home. 

He  who  hears  or  recites  this  play  of  Vishnu  with  the  women 
of  Vraja  acquires  supreme  devotion  to  Bhagavat  and  shakes  off  in 
no  time  that  disease  of  the  heart  called  Kama  or  passion  for  women. 

SUDARSANA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  34. 

(The  Rasa  is  a  teaching  about  conquering  Kama  by  treating  of 
indulgence  in  Kama  itself.  Similarly  this  chapter  treats  of  the  con 
quest  of  Vidyadhara.  Sridhara.) 


On  the  occasion  of  a  sacred  festival  the  Gopas  went  to  the 
banks  of  the  Sarasvati.  (Students  will  mark  the  significance  of  the 
Sarasvati,  which  corresponds  to  Sushumn^  in  the  human  system  at 
this  stage  of  spiritual  development).  They  adored  Pasupati  (Siva) 
and  Ambika  (rDurg^).  They  passed  the  night  on  the  river  bank.  A 
huge  serpent  swallowed  Nanda.  The  Gopas  burnt  the  animal  but  it 
would  not  let  go  its  hold  ;  Krishna  then  touched  it  with  his  feet  and 
out  came  a  Vidyadhara  from  the  serpent  body.  This  Vidyadhara,  by 
name  Sudarsana,  had  been  cursed  by  Rishi  Angiras  for  having  slighted 
him  and  became  a  serpent. 

SANKHA  CHUDA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  34. 

One  day  Rama  and  Krishna  came  to  the  forest  to  have  com 
pany  with  the  Gopis.  It  was  the  first  part  of  the  night.  They 
played  upon  the  flute  and  the  Gopis  listened  to  the  music  with  rapt 
attention.  At  this  time  Sankha  Chuda,  the  well-known  attendant  of 
Kuvera,  drove  the  Gopis  away  northward.  The  girls  wept  and  called 
out  to  Krishna  and  Rama  for  help.  They  ran  after  the  Yaksha  who 
in  terror  left  the  Gopis  and  fled  away.  Rama  remained  in  charge  of 
the  Gopa  girls.  Krishna  overtook  Sankha  Chuda  and  severed  his 
head  with  its  jewel  and  presented  the  crest  jewel  to  Balarama. 

THE  SEPARATION  SONG  OF  THE  GOPfe. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  35. 

At  night  the  Gopis  enjoyed  the  company  of  Krishna.  But 
the  day  was  their  time  of  separation  and,  when  Krishna  went  to  the 
forest,  they  passed  the  time  any  how  in  singing  about  him.  For  the 
separation  song,  please  refer  to  the  original. 


ARISHTA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  36. 

Arishta,  an  Asura  in  the  form  of  a  bull,  attacked  the  quarters 
of  the  cows.  The  cows  fled  away  and  the  Gopas  cried  out  "  Krishna, 
O  Krishna  save  us,"  Krishna  killed  the  Asura, 


[.      281       ] 

NARADA  AND  KANSA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  36. 

Narada  told  Kansa  : — "  The  female  child  was  the  daughter  of 
Yasoda  ;  Krishna  and  Rama  are  sons  of  Devaki.  Vasudeva  kept  them 
with  his  friend  Nanda  eut  of  fear.  Those  two  brothers  have  killed 
your  spies."  In  rage  the  king  of  Bhoja  took  his  sword  to  kill 
Vasudeva.  Narada  prevented  him.  But  the  King  put  Vasudeva 
and  his  wife  in  iron  fetters.  He  then  ordered  Kesi  to  kill  Rama 
and  Krishna.  He  called  his  ministers  together  in  council.  Address 
ing  Chanur  and  Mushtika  he  said  :— "  Rama  and  Krishna  are  to  kill 
us.  So  Narada  told  me."  Those  two  Asuras  came  ready  for 
Vraja.  But  Kansa  said  :  "  No,  you  need  not  go.  I  shall  send  for 
the  two  brothers  and  kill  them  in  a  wrestling  match.  So  prepare  the 
playground.  Place  the  elephant  Kubalayapida  at  the  entrance  and 
let  him  kill  my  enemies.  On  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  Moon,  let  us 
commence  Dhanus  Yajna,  and  let  animals  be  killed  in  honor  of 
Siva." 

Kansa  then  sent  for  Akrura,  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Vadu 
clan.  "  Akrura,"  said  he,  "  Thou  art  my  friend  and  do  the  work  of  a 
friend.  Please  go  to  Vraja.  Take  this  chariot  and  bring  the  two  sons 
of  Vasudeva.  Tell  them,  they  are  to  see  the  Dhanus  Yajna  and  have 
a  sight  of  the  town.  Let  Nanda  and  other  Gopas  come  with  presents. 
The  elephant  shall  kill  the  two  boys.  Or  if  perchance  they  escape, 
the  wrestlers  shall  do  away  with  them.  I  will  then  make  easy  work 
of  Vasudeva,  my  old  father  Ugrasena,  his  brother  Devaka,  the 
Vrishnis,  the  Bhojas  and  the  Dasarhas.  Then,  O  friend,  the  earth 
will  be  left  without  a  thorn.  Jarasandha  is  my  guide.  Dvivid  is  my 
friend.  Samvara,  Naraka,  and  Vana  have  made  alliance  with  me. 
With  the  help  of  these,  I  shall  kill  all  kings  that  are  on  the  side  of 
the  Devas.  Know  this  to  be  my  plan."  AkrOra  said  : — "  The  design 
is  all  right.  But  it  may  or  may  not  succeed.  Even  lofty  desires  are 
frustrated  by  unforeseen  obstacles.  Still  man  entertains  them,  to 
meet  with  either  joy  or  sorrow.  But  I  will  do  thy  behests." 

The  council  broke  up. 

KESI. 
SKAND'HA  X.  CHAP.  37. 

In  the  meantime,   Kesi,  under    the    orders   of  Kansa,    entered 
Vraja,   in   the   form   of  a  fiery  steed.     Krishna  held  him  aloft  by  the 
36 


t      282      ] 

feet  and  threw  him  away.  The  Asura  regained  consciousness  and  again 
ran  after  Krishna.  He  thrust  his  hand  inside  the  mouth  of  the  Asura 
and  killed  him  at  once.  The  Devas  rained  flowers  over  him  and  prayed. 
Rishi  Narada  also  appeared  and  adored  him,  making  reference  to 
his  future  deeds. 


VYOMA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  37. 

The  Gopas  were  grazing  cattle  on  the  flat  summit  of  a  hill. 
Some  played  the  part  of  thieves,  some  that  of  cattle  keepers  and 
some  the  part  of  sheep.  The  Asura  Vyoma,  (the  word  meaning 
Akasa),  son  of  Maya,  assumed  the  form  of  a  Gopa,  and  playing  the 
part  of  a  thief  carried  away  many  Gopas,  who  became  sheep  and 
he  confined  them  in  a  hill  cave  closed  by  stones.  In  the  playground 
only  four  or  five  Gopas  remained.  Krishna  found  out  the  mischief, 
attacked  the  Asura  and  killed  him. 

AKRURA. 

Akrura  was  mightily  pleased  that  he  would  see  the  lotus  feet 
of  Rama  and  Krishna.  His  devotion  to  Krishna  knew  no  bounds 
and  he  knew  full  well  that,  whatever  his  mission  might  be,  the  Lord 
would  find  out  his  inward  devotion.  At  sunset  he  reached  Gokula 
and,  on  seeing  Rama  and  Krishna,  fell  down  at  their  feet.  They  duly 
honored  him.  Nanda  also  shewed  every  respect  to  Akrura.  At 
night  Akrura  made  a  clean  breast  of  everything  to  Rama  and  Krishna, 
telling  how  Kansa  oppressed  the  Yadus,  how  Narada  informed  him 
of  their  presence  in  Vraja  and  who  they  were,  how  he  planned  their 
death,  and  the  mission  on  which  he  sent  him.  Rama  and  Krishna 
only  laughed.  The  next  morning  they  informed  Nanda  about  the 
command  of  the  king.  Nanda  asked  the  Gopas  to  prepare  themselves 
with  presents. 

And  the  Gopa  girls  ?  Who  could  measure  the  depth  of  their 
sorrow?  Their  plaintive  strains  were  most  heart-rending.  They  wept. 
They  followed  the  chariot  carrying  Rama  and  Krishna.  Krishna  to 
console  them  sent  word  that  he  would  come  back.  At  last  the 
chariot  became  invisible  and  the  Gopis  went  back  to  their  homes. 

On  reaching  the  banks  of  the  Yamuna  the  brothers  took  their 
bath  in  the  river  and  refreshed  themselves  with  its  water.  They  took 
their  seat  again  in  the  chariot.  Akrtira  asked  their  permission  and 
went  to  bathe.  He  plunged  himself  in  the  waters  and  duly  performed 


t  283  ] 

the  ablution  ceremonies.  He  made  a  japa  ('repeated  recital)  of 
Veda  Mantras.  But  lo  !  he  found  before  him  Rama  and  Krishna. 
They  were  in  the  chariot.  How  could  they  appear  then  ?  He  rose  and 
saw  the  boys  were  really  seated  in  the  chariot.  He  plunged  himself 
once  more  and  saw  in  the  waters  the  serpent  king  Amanta,  with  a 
thousand  heads  and  a  thousand  crowns,  dressed  in  blue  clothes,  white 
in  body,  adored  by  Siddhas,  Charanas,  Gandhavas,  and  Asuras. 
Embraced  by  him  was  the  dark  Purusha,  dressed  in  yellow  clothes, 
with  four  hands,  adored  by  the  Rishis. 

Akrura  made  salutations  and  adored  the  Purusha  with  folded 
hands. 

Krishna  then  withdrew  his  form,  as  a  play  is  withdrawn  from 
the  stage.  Akrura  got  up  and  took  his  seat  in  the  chariot. 

Krishna  said  :  —  "  Akrura,  you  look  as  if  you  have  seen  some 
thing  unusual."  Akrura  replied  :  —  "  What  is  there  in  the  universe  that 
is  not  in  thee.  When  I  have  seen  thee,  I  have  seen  everything." 
They  drove  on  again  and  at  last  reached  Mathura. 


MATHURA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  41-42. 

Akrura  asked  Krishna  and  all  the  Gopas  to  come  to  his  house. 
But  Krishna  would  first  kill  Kansa  before  doing  him  this  favor.  So 
Akrura  sorrowfully  left  him  and  informed  Kansa  about  the  perform 
ance  of  his  mission. 

Krishna  with  Balarama  and  the  Gopas  went  out  to  see  the 
town.  The  house  tops  became  crowded  with  females  who  wanted  to 
have  a  look  at  Krishna,  whose  fame  had  already  preceded  him.  A 
washerman  passed  that  way.  Krishna  begged  him  to  give  him  some 
choice  clothes.  But  he  was  the  washerman  of  Kansa  and  he  arro 
gantly  refused  to  give  any  of  the  King's  clothes.  Krishna  in  anger 
cut  off  his  head.  The  attendants  left  the  clothes  and  fled  away. 
Rama  and  Krishna  took  as  many  as  they  liked  and  gave  the  rest  to 
the  Gopas. 

A  weaver  came  forward  of  his  own  accord  and  gladly  dressed 
the  brothers  with  choice  clothes.  Krishna  rewarded  him  with  great 
powers  and  provided  for  hinrSarupya  (a  kind  of  Mukti)  after  death. 

Then  the  brothers  went  to  the  house  of  a  garland  -maker 
named  Sudama.  Sudamci  fell  down  at  their  feet  and  adorned  them 


[    284    ] 

and  the  Gopas  with  the  best  garlands.  The  garland-maker  prayed 
for  constant  devotion,  for  friendship  with  the  devotees  and  for  love  of 
all  beings.  Krishna  gave  him  these  boons  as  well  as  many  other 
blessings. 

A  young  girl  went  that  way  with  fragrant  paste  in  her  hand. 
Though  young  and  beautiful,  she  was  hunch-backed. 

Krishna  said  smilingly : — "  Fine  girl  that  thou  art,  tell  me 
truly  what  this  scented  thing  is  for.  Anoint  us  with  this,  and  good 
shall  be  your  lot."  The  girl  said  : — "  My  name  is  Trivakr£  (with 
three  bends).  I  am  a  servant  of  Kansa.  He  likes  my  paste  very 
much.  Who  but  you  can  deserve  to  have  it?"  The  girl  then  anoint 
ed  the  brothers,  with  zeal  and  love.  Krishna  pressed  her  feet  with 
the  tips  of  his  own  feet  and  held  up  her  chin  with  two  fingers 
and  with  a  little  effort  made  her  erect.  The  hunch  on  her 
back  was  gone  and  she  became  a  beauty.  She  invited  Krishna 
to  her  own  house.  Krishna  knew  her  object  and  said  "  Let 
me  first  do  my  work  and  then  I  shall  visit  your  house."  He  then 
passed  through  the  traders'  quarters.  They  made  various  presents. 
Krishna  then  enquired  where  the  Yajna  Dhanus  (the  bow  to  be  used 
in  the  performance  of  the  Yajna)  was.  Though  warned  by  the 
citizens,  he  entered  the  place  and  easily  broke  the  bow  asunder. 
There  was  great  noise.  The  warders  ran  to  kill  him.  He  killed  the 
guardsmen  with  the  two  parts  of  the  bow. 

It  was  then  sun-set.  The  boys  returned  with  the  Gopas  to 
their  quarters. 

Kansa  heard  of  the  valour  of  the  boys  and  passed  the  night  in 
evil  dreams.  When  the  day  broke,  he  made  preparations  for  the 
wrestling  match. 


THE  WRESTLING. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  43-44. 

Kansa  took  his  seat  on  a  raised  platform  with  his  ministers. 
There  was  beating  of  drums.  The  athletes  appeared  on  the  scene, 
headed  by  Chanur,  Mushtika,  Kuta,  Sala  and  Tosala.  Nanda  and 
other  Gopas  made  their  presents  and  were  shown  over  to  another 
platform. 

Hearing  the  noise,  Rama  and  Krishna  also  came  to  see  the 
match.  At  the  entrance  they  were  obstructed  by  the  elephant 


[     285     ] 

Kubalayapida.  Krishna  asked  the  driver  to  remove  the  elephant, 
but  he  only  set  it  upon  him.  There  was  a  fight  and  Krishna  at  last 
succeeded  in  felling  the  elephant  to  the  ground.  He  then  plucked 
out  its  teeth  and  with  theii  help,  he  killed  both  the  animal  and  its 
driver.  Blood-stained,  the  two  brothers  entered  the  wrestling  ground 
with  the  ivory  teeth  in  their  hands.  All  were  struck  by  their  appearance. 
The  account  of  the  elephant's  death  struck  terror  into  Kansa's  heart. 
He  began  to  tremble.  The  people  of  Mathura  were  attracted  by  the 
divine  form  of  the  brothers  and  they  began  to  talk  about  their  deeds. 
Chandra  addressing  the  brothers  said  : — "  You  are  known  as  good 
wrestlers.  The  King  has  therefore  invited  you  to  this  match.  Come 
and  do  the  pleasure  of  the  King,  for  the  King  is  the  embodiment 
of  all  Devas." 

Krishna  said  :— "  We  dwell  in  the  forest.  But  still  we  are  sub 
jects  of  the  King  of  Bhoja.  That  we  are  ordered  to  please  the  King 
is  a  great  favor  to  us.  But  we  are  boys.  We  shall  play  with  those 
of  equal  might.  There  will  then  be  a  fair  match  and  there  will  be  no 
injustice  attaching  to  those  present  here." 

Chan ura  replied  : — 

"  You  are  neither  a  boy  nor  a  youth  below  fifteen,  Krishna. 
Nor  is  Balarama  so.  You  killed  that  elephant  with  the  might  of  a 
thousand  elephants  as  it  were  in  sport.  It  is  meet  therefore  you  shall 
fight  with  the  powerful.  There  is  no  injustice  in  this.  You  measure 
your  strength  with  me  and  let  Balarama  do  so  with  Mushtika." 

So  it  was.  The  fight  was  a  drawn  one.  At  last  the  brothers 
killed  their  rivals.  Kuta  then  confronted  Balarama,  who  killed  him 
with  his  fist.  Sola  and  Tosala  also  fell  dead  before  Krishna.  The 
other  wrestlers  fled  for  their  lives.  Rama  and  Krishna  then  called 
their  Gopa  companions  and  began  to  dance  together  on  the  wrestling 
ground.  "  Well  done,"  "  Well  done,"  cried  all,  except  Kansa. 

THE  DEATH  OF  KANSA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  44. 

Kansa  stopped  the  music.  He  exclaimed.  "  Let  these  two  un 
ruly  sons  of  Vasudeva  be  driven  out  from  the  town.  Take  away  the 
wealth  of  the  Gopas.  Confine  this  wicked  Nanda.  Kill  that  vile 
Vasudeva.  My  father  Ugrasena  is  partial  to  my  enemies.  Kill  him  with 


[     286     ] 

all  his  attendants."  While  Kansa  was  thus  bragging  Krishna  got  angry 
and  with  one  jump,  he  got  upon  the  platform.  Kansa  stood  up  with 
his  sword  and  shield.  Krishna  held  him  by  his  hair  and  threw  him 
clown  from  the  platform.  He  then  jumped  over  Kansa  and  his  life 
departed.  He  then  dragged  the  dead  body  of  Kansa  in  the  presence 
of  all.  Kansa  through  fear  and  anxiety  had  always  thought  of 
Krishna  and  now  being  killed  by  his  hands,  he  attained  the  Rupa  of 
Krishna.  The  eight  brothers  of  Kansa  attacked  Krishna  but  they 
were  put  to  death  by  Balarama.  There  was  great  rejoicing  amongst 
the  Devas. 

The  wives  of  Kansa  loudly  lamented  the  death  of  their  husband. 
Bhagavan  consoled  them.  He  then  liberated  his  father  and  mother 
and  touched  their  feet.  He  then  took  leave  of  Nanda  and  the  Gopas, 
promising  a  speedy  return  to  them. 


THE  THREAD  CEREMONY  AND  BRAHMACHARYA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  45. 

Krishna  placed  Ugrasena  on  the  throne.  The  Yadus,  Vrishnis, 
Andhakas,  Madhus,  Dasarhas  and  Kukkuras,  who  had  left  Mathura 
for  fear  of  Kansa,  now  returned  to  that  town.  Vasudeva  called  the 
Purohita  (family  priest)  Garga  and  performed  the  Upanayana  cere 
mony  (investiture  of  the  sacred  thread)  of  his  sons.  They  then 
became  twice-born.  (Dvija-Brahmanas,  Kshatriyas  and  Vaisyas  are 
the  twice-born  classes.  Krishna  was  a  Kshatriya  by  birth).  After 
Upanayana,  one  has  to  practise  Brahmacharya  /.  e.  he  has  to  reside  at 
the  house  of  his  Guru,  learn  the  Vedas  from  him  and  practise 
asceticism  at  the  same  time.  According  to  practice,  Rama  and  Krishna 
went  to  reside  at  the  house  of  Rishi  Sandipani  of  Avanti  of  the  line  of 
Kasyapa.  The  brothers  learned  the  Vedas,  the  Vedangas  and  all  the 
branches  of  learning  in  sixty  four  days.  Then  they  requested  their 
Guru  to  name  his  Dakshina.  (When  a  disciple  leaves  his  Guru  after 
the  completion  of  study,  he  has  to  give  some  Dakshina  or  present 
according  to  his  power  to  the  Guru).  Sandipani  in  consultation  with 
his  wife  asked  for  the  restoration  to  life  of  his  son,  who  had  been 
drowned  in  the  sea  at  Prabhasa  Kshetra.  "  All  right,"  said  the  brothers. 
They  took  their  chariot  and  went  to  the  sea-side.  The  sea  brought 
presents.  But  Krishna  asked  for  the  restoration  of  his  Guru's  son. 
The  sea  replied : — "  I  did  not  carry  him  off,  but  one  Asura  named 
Panchajana,  who  lives  in  my  waters  in  the  form  of  a  conch."  Krishna 


entered  the  waters  and  killed  Panchajana.  But  he  did  not  find  the 
boy  within  the  Asura's  body.  He  took  the  conch  and  came  back.  He 
then  went  with  Balarama  to  the  seat  of  Yama  called  Sanyamani  and 
blew  the  conch.  Yama  adored  the  brothers  and  wanted  to  know 
their  behests.  * 

Bhagavan  said  :-»-"  My  Guru's  son  has  certainly  been  brought 
here  by  his  own  Karma.  But  hear  my  command  and  bring  him  to 
me."  "  So  be  it "  said  Yama,  and  brought  back  the  Guru's  son.  The 
brothers  took  him  to  their  father  and  said  :  "  What  more  do  you  ask, 
O  Guru  ?" 

The  Guru  said  : — "  I  have  nothing  more  to  ask.  Now  you 
may  go  home." 


UDDHAVA  AND  VRAJA. 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  46. 

Uddhava  was  the  chief  counsellor  of  the  Vrishnis,  the  dear 
friend  of  Krishna  and  the  direct  disciple  of  Brihaspati.  He  was 
second  to  none  in  wisdom.  His  dress  and  decorations  were  those  of 
Krishna. 

Krishna  called  his  friend  aside  and  said  : — 

"  Go,  Uddhava,  to  Vraja.  Bear  my  love  to  Nanda  and  Yasoda. 
Give  my  message  to  the  Gopis,  which  will  be  a  relief  to  them  in  their 
distress.  Their  desires  are  all  centred  in  me.  I  am  their  life.  They 
have  given  up  all  worldly  connections  for  my  sake.  I  am  their 
dearest  and  nearest  friend.  I  protect  those  that  give  up  worldly 
duties  for  my  sake.  So  painful  is  my  separation  to  the  Gopis  that 
they  are  beside  themselves.  Any  how  they  live  and  that  with  diffi 
culty,  only  because  I  sent  word  of  my  speedy  return." 

Gladly  Uddhava  accepted  the  mission.  He  went  to  Vraja  and 
stayed  there  for  a  few  months,  consoling  the  Gopas  and  Gopis. 

To  Nanda  and  Yasoda  he  said  : — 

"  R£ma  and  Krishna  are  the  efficient  and  the  material  cause  of 
the  Universe — Purusha  and  Pradhana.  They  pervade  all  beings  and 
guide  the  workings  of  individual  natures.  Krishna  would  fulfil  the 
promise  he  made  to  you  on  the  wrestling  ground  and  come  back  to 
Vraja  ere  long.  Do  not  grieve  O  great  ones.  You  shall  see  Krishna 
by  your  side  :  He  is  within  the  heart  of  all  beings,  as  fire  is  inside  all 
fuel,  To  him  nothing  is  agreeable  or  disagreeable,  nothing  high  or 


[     288     ] 

low.  He  has  no  father,  no  wife,  no  sons,  no  one  near  or  distant,  no 
body,  no  birth,  no  Karma.  For  the  protection  of  Sadhus  he  mani 
fests  himself  in  different  births  at  his  own  pleasure.  Though  void  of 
all  Gunas,  he  seeks  them  at  pleasure  for  the  purpose  of  creation.  As 
a  stationary  body  appears  to  be  moving,  so  Atma  appears  to  be  work 
ing,  though  Chitta  is  the  worker.  Krishna  is  n,ot  your  son  only.  But 
he  is  of  all  the  sons,  the  self,  father,  mother  and  fsvara.  Nothing 
exists  in  reality  but  Krishna." 

Excited  were  the  effusions  of  the  Gopis,  on  seeing  Uddhava. 
(They  may  be  interesting  to  the  general  reader  but  to  the  student 
the  message  delivered  by  Uddhava  is  the  only  necessary  portion  at 
this  stage  of  the  story.  The  reader  is  therefore  referred  to  other 
translations  for  those  highly  poetical  effusions.) 

Uddhava  informed  the  Gopis  that  he  was  the  secret  messenger  of 
Krishna.  He  then  delivered  the  following  message  from  Bhagavan  : — 
"  You  have  no  separation  from  me,  for  I  am  all-pervading.  As  the 
five  elements — earth,  water,  air,  fire  and  ether — enter  into  the  composi 
tion  of  all  beings,  so  I  underlie  Manas,  Pi  ana,  the  Bhutas  and  the 
Indriyas,  as  also  the  Gunas  themselves.  I  create,  preserve  and  des 
troy  self  in  self  by  self.  By  my  Maya,  I  become  the  Bhutas,  the 
Indriyas  and  the  Gunas.  But  Atma  is  pure,  it  is  all  consciousness 
(Jnana),  separate,  unconnected  with  the  Gunas.  It  is  only  by  the 
mental  states  of  wakefulness,  dream  and  dreamless  sleep  that  egois 
tic  perceptions  are  caused  in  Atma.  (The  objects  of  perception  in 
one  state  appear  to  be  unreal  in  another  state.)  The  objects  of 
dream  perception  appear  to  be  unreal  to  the  awakened  man.  The 
mind  (beinej  the  common  factor  in  all  the  three  states)  perceives  these 
(unreal)  objects  of  the  senses  and  it  underlies  the  senses  themselves. 
Sleeplessly  therefore  control  the  mind.  This  is  the  final  reach  of  the 
Vedas,  of  Yoga,  and  of  Sankhya,  of  relinquishment,  of  Tapas,  of  the 
control  of  senses,  and  of  Truth  itself.  This  is  the  ocean  into  which 
all  rivers  fall. 

That  I,  though  pleasing  to  your  eyes,  remain  away  from  you  is 
because  I  want  you  constantly  to  meditate  on  me,  for  such  medita 
tion  will  attract  your  mind  more  towards  me.  The  mind  of  women 
does  not  dwell  so  much  upon  the  lover,  near  at  hand,  dearest  though 
he  be,  as  it  dwells  upon  a  distant  lover,  being  full  of  him. 

By  devoting  your  whole  mind  to  me,  free  from  all  other 
thoughts,  and  by  constantly  meditating  on  me  you  shall  forthwith 
attain  me.  Even  those  girls  that  remained  at  Vraja  and  could  not 
join  the  Rasa  attained  me  by  meditating  on  My  powers."  The 


[     289    ] 

words  of  Uddhava  only  reminded  the  Gopis  of  the  doings  of  Krishna. 
They  loudly  took  his  name.  They  were  full  of  Krishna  and  would 
not  forget  him.  But  they  knew  from  His  message  that  He  was  Atma 
and  their  pain  of  separation  was  gone. 

Uddhava  remained  for  several  days  at  Vraja,  reminding  all  of 
Srikrishna.  When  he  left  Vraja  he  wished  that  he  could  be  one  of 
the  creepers  or  herbs  in  Vrindavana,  that  had  been  rendered  sacred 
by  the  dust  of  the  Gopis'  feet.  (With  that  wish  let  us  take  leave  of 
the  Vrindavana  Lila  of  Bhagavan  Srikrishna.) 


THOUGHTS  ON  THE  VRINDAVANA  LILA. 

Before  making  any  remarks  of  my  own,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
draw  upon  the  Upanishads. 

Gopala  Tapani  is  one  of  the  chief  Upanishads  dealing  with 
Krishna.  ^  The  work  is  divided  into  two  parts.  The  first  part  gives  one 
yantra  for  the  UpasanA  of  Krishna.  The  second  part  gives  a  narra 
tion.  The  women  of  Vraja  asked  Krishna  to  name  some  Brahmana 
to  whom  they  could  make  offerings  of  food.  Krishna  named 
Durvasas.  "  But  how  can  we  approach  him  without  crossing  the 
Yamuna  ?  "  asked  the  Gopis. 

"  Take  my  name,  that  of  Krishna,  a  Brahmacharin,  and  the 
Yamun&  shall  give  you  way "  So  it  was.  The  Gopis  crossed  the 
Yamuna  and  went  to  the  Asrama  of  Durvasas,  the  incarnation  of 
Rudra.  They  offered  the  sweet  things  to  the  Rishi  and  when  he 
partook  of  these,  he  permitted  the  Gopis  to  retire.  "  But  how  can  we 
cross  the  Yamuna?  " 

The  Rishi  replied  : — "  Remember  me,  the  eater  of  Durva 
(a  kind  of  grass)  and  the  river  shall  give  way. " 

"  Krishna  a  Brahmacharin !  And  thou  an  eater  of  Durva 
only  ?  How  can  that  be  ? "  asked  the  chief  Gopi  and  she  asked  a 
number  of  other  questions. 

(According  to  the  common  exoteric  notion  Sri  Krishna  is  the 
lord  of  many  women  and  Durvasas  is  a  voracious  Rishi.  This  is  the 
cause  of  the  wonder.) 

Durvasas  first  explained   that   Krishna  was  the  all-pervading 

Purusha,   underlying  all.     Then  further  on,  there  are  seven  Sakdmya 

Puris  or  places,  on  the  top  of  Meru,  as  well  as  seven  nlshkdinya  Purls. 

(The  commentator  Visvesvara  explains  "  Sakamya,"  as  regions  where 

37 


t  290  ] 

desires  fructify.  As  on  the  Meru  there  are  seven  such  Puris,  so  there 
are  seven  Nishkamya  or  Moksha-producing  Puris).  On  the  earth, 
these,  are  seven  Sakamya  Puris  (Ayodhyd,  Mathur&  and  others.)  Of 
these  Gopala  Puri  (MathuraJ  is  the  direct  abode  of  Brahma. 

As  the  lotus  floats  on  the  lake,  Mathura  rears  itself  up  on  the 
earth,  protected  by  Chakra,  the  disc  of  Vishnu.  Hence  it  is  called 
Gopala  Puri.  This  Puri  is  surrounded  by  twelve  forests  : — 

Brihat  Vana  (from  Brihat  or  great,  large). 

Madhu  Vana  (From  Madhu,  a  daitya). 

Tala  Vana  (Tala  or  palm  tree). 

Bahula  Vana  (From  Bahula,  a  kind  of  tree). 

Kumud  Vana  (From  Kumud,  flower). 

Khadira  Vana  (From  Khadira  or  the  catechu  plant). 

Bhadra  Vana  (From  Bhadra,  a  kind  of  tree). 

Bhandira  Vana  (From  Bhandtra,  the  name  of  a  religious  fig  tree). 

Sri  Vana  (From  Sri  or  Lakshmi). 

Loha-vana  (from  Loha,  the  name  of  an  Asura.) 

And  Vrindavana  (from  Vrind&  or  Tulasi  plant.) 

These  twelve  forests  are  presided  over  by  the  12  Adityas,  II 
Rudras,  eight  Vasus,  seven  Rishis,  Brahma,  Narada,  the  five  Vinaya- 
kas  (Moda,  Pramoda,  Amoda,  Sumukha  and  Durmukha),  Viresvara, 
Rudresvara,  Visvesvara,  Gopalesvara,  Bhadresvara,  and  24  other  Siva 
Lingas. 

There  are  two  chief  forests,  Krishnavana   and  Bhadravana. 
The  12  forests  are  included  in  these.     They  are   all  sacred,  some  of 
them  most  sacred. 

There  are  four  forms  of  Vishnu  (Murtis)  in  these  forests,  Rama 
(Sankarshanaj,  Pradyumna,  Aniruddha  and  Krishna  (Vasudeva). 

There  are  twelve  other  Murtis  in  Mathur&  : — 
Roudri  adored  by  the  Rudras. 
Brdhmt,  by  Brahma. 
Devi,  by  the  sons  of  Brahma. 
Mdnavt,  by  the  Maruts. 
Vighna  ndsint,  by  the  Yinayakas. 
)  by  the  Vasus. 


Arsht,  by  the  Rishis. 

Gdndharvt,  by  the  Gandharvas. 

Go,  by  the  Apsarasas. 

AntardhAnasthd  remains  hidden. 

Svapadangatti  is  at  the  supreme  abode  of  Vishnu. 

Bkumisit/td  remains  on  the  earth  (Bhumi). 

Those  who  worship  BMntisthd   know   no  death,  they  become 
liberated. 

Gopa  is  Jiva  (Ego-). 

Gopala  =  Gopa  (Jiva)  +  ala  (acceptor). 

Gopala  is  he  who  accepts  the  Jivas  as  his  own. 

He  who  realises  "  I  am  Gopala  "  attains   Moksha.     Gopala  al 
ways  remains  at  Mathura.     Mathura  is  the  place  for  devotion. 

The  Lotus  of  the  heart  is  Mathura  with  its  eight  petals.  The 
two  feet  of  Narayana  are  there  marked  with  the  divine  Symbols  (flag, 
umbrella  &c.).  The  object  of  meditation  there  is  either  Krishna,  with 
Srivatsa,  with  Koustubha,  with  four  hands,  bearing  Sankha,  Chakra, 
Padma,  and  Gada,  with  arms  adorned  by  Keyura,  with  the  neck  ad 
orned  by  a  garland,  with  a  crown  on  the  head  and  with  Makara-shaped 
Kundalas  on  the  ears  ;  or  it  is  Krishna  with,  two  hands,  bearing  a  flute 
and  horn. 

Mathura  is  from  Math,  to  put  down,  because  materiality  is  put 
down  there  by  divine  wisdom.  The  eight  Dikpalas  (Indra,  Agni, 
Vayu,  Varuna  and  others)  preside  over  the  eight  petals  of  the  Lotus 
in  the  heart. 

The  "  flags  "  have  the  glow  of  the  Sun  and  the  Moon. 

The  umbrella  is  Brahma  Loka. 

The  two  feet  are  "  above  "  and  "  below." 

Kaustubha  is  that  light  which  overpowers  all  other  lights  viz., 
Surya,  Agni,  Vak  and  Chandra. 

The  "four  hands"  are  Satva,  Rajas,  Tamas  and  Ahankara. 

"  Sankha,"  consisting  of  the  five  Bhutas,  is  held  by  the  hand  re 
presenting  Rajas. 

"  Chakra,"  consisting  of  Manas,  is  held  by  the  hand  representing 
Satva. 


[      292      ] 

"Padma"  is  the  universe,  the  primal  Maya.  It  is  held  by  the 
hand,  representing  Tamas. 

"  Gada  "  is  primal  Vidya  or  wisdom.  It  is  held  by  the  hand,  re 
presenting  Ahankara. 

"  Garland "  round  the  neck  consists  of  the  Manasa  Putras  of 
Brahma.  The  crown  is  Sat,  absolute  existence.  The  different  life 
forms  and  the  underlying  Jiva  are  the  two  "  Kundalas  "  on  the  ear. 

Then  we  come  to  MANTRA  BHAGAVATA  or  Bhagavata  writ 
ten  in  Vedic  Mantras,  a  stiff  work  not  quite  intelligible  without  the  ex 
cellent  gloss  of  Nilkantha  (published  at  the  Venkatesvara  Press, 
Bombay).  This  work  is  said  to  have  been  found  out  by  Nilkantha. 
It  is  divided  into  four  parts — Gokula  K^nda,  Vrindavana  Kanda, 
Akrura  Kanda  and  Mathur&  Kanda.  The  chief  events"  of  Krishna's 
divine  life(Lila)  are  narrated  in  this  book,  but  in  the  order  of  narration, 
it  follows  Hari  Vansa  more  than  the  Bhagavata  Purana.  I  refer  only 
to  those  portions  of  the  book,  which  to  me  appear  important 

We  take  the  following  from  the  Gokula  Kanda.  The  Gopas  are 
re-incarnations  of  Devas.  They  are  the  messengers  of  Krishna. 
They  are  fond  of  Gavya  or  the  products  of  Cows.  The  relation  be 
tween  Krishna  and  the  Gopas  is  that  between  an  object  and  its  image* 
Krishna  drove  the  cattle  of  Nanda,  just  as  he  drove  the  horses  of 
Arjuna,  the  object  of  doing  so  being  in  both  the  cases  the  destruction 
of  all  the  enemies  (III).  In  commenting  on  the  5th  Sloka,  Nilkantha 
calls  Krishna  the  white  ray  of  the  Sun,  which  becomes  the  blue  ray, 
which  is  in  reality  the  ray  of  Sat,  Chit  and  Ananda.  He  refers  in  this 
connection  to  the  word  Bharga  (ray)  in  the  Gayatri.  Krishna  is  the 
heart  of  the  Sun. 

The  sixth  sloka  explains  this  : — 

"  It  is  Krishna  who  causes  bliss.  The  Sun  God  (Savitri),  being 
guided  by  Krishna,  goes  his  way  on  the  golden  chariot  (VI)." 

In  the  nth  sloka>  Krishna  is  called  the  Black  ray. 

Mother  Aditi  (Earth)  asked  her  son  Indra  for  relief  (VI I).  At 
the  request  of  Indra,  Vishnu  entered  the  womb  of  Devakr.  He  first 
ensouled  seven  Ardha-Garbhas.  (Ardha  is  half  and  Garbha  is  a  foetal 
child.  The  six  sons  of  Kala-nemi — the  name  of  a  demon,  literally,, 
the  rim  of  the  wheel  of  time,  known  as  Shat  Garbhas,  pleased  Brahma* 
by  worship  and  became  immortal.  They  were  the  grandsons  of 
Hiranya-Kasipu.  He  cursed  them  saying: — 


[     293    I 

"  I  am  your  own  grandfather.  But  you  disregard  me  for  the  sake 
of  the  Divine  Grandfather  Brahma.  Hence  you  shall  be  killed  by 
the  hands  of  your  own  father."  They  remained  in  their  Linga  Sarira 
in  IMtala. 

They  incarnated  as  the  first  six  sons  of  Vasudeva  a*nd  were  killed 
by  Kansa,  the  incarnation  of  Kala-nemi.  This  is  related  in  Hari- 
vansa.  Therefore  they  are  called  Ardha  Garbhas.  The  seventh  Bala- 
rama  is  also  called  Ardha-Garbha,  as  he  was  drawn  away  from  Devakl 
to  Rohini.  Nilkantha)  IX. 

The  Black  ray  (Sat,  Chit  and  Ananda)  incarnated  in  Devakl's 
womb. 

Krishna  is  Antaryamin  or  inside  all  beings. 

Balarama  is  Sutratma,  the  Ego.  XIX. 

The  Cart  Asura  (Sakata)  is  a  messenger  of  the  death  God  from 
the  South,  XX. 

Pfitand  is  a  weapon  of  death  in  the  form  of  a  bird.  XXI. 

Tnndvarta  is  the  disease,  known  as  consumption. 

The  Gopas  asked  Krishna  for  the  milk-products.  As  devas,  they 
had  never  known  such  offerings  in  Yajnas.  They  informed  Krishna, 
where  the  milk  made  things  were  to  be  found.  (XXIII  and  XXIV.) 
For  the  gratification  of  the  universe,  the  longings  of  Krishna  are  great 
and  for  this  reason  he  did  not  spare  any  fresh  butter  of  the  Gopis. 
The  Gopis  learned  from  this  that  for  the  bare  up-keep  of  their  lives, 
they  were  to  attend  to  their  household  duties  (XXVI).  (If  the  boys 
are  to  steal  away  all  the  butter,  life  itself  will  be  extinguished.  People 
should  have  enough  left  for  their  household  requirement.  If  I  taste 
only  a  little  of  the  butter,  all  the  three  Lokas  will  be  gratified,  and 
the  Gopis  will  acquire  the  merit  thereof.  Considering  all  this,. 
Bhagavan  tasted  butter  by  stealth  Nilkantha.  This  means,  in  so- 
many  words,  that  Krishna  accepted  the  fruits  of  all  the  actions  of 
the  Gopis  except  such  as  sufficed  to  preserve  their  lives).  The  Gopis 
complained  to  Yasoda  of  the  stealing  acts  of  Krishna.  XXVII. 
Vrinddvana  Kan  da. 

The  dwellers  of  Gokula  migrated  with  Krishna  to  Vrindavanar 
for  fear  of  Vrikas  or  wolves,  (Kama  and  other  passions  are  the  wolves, 
Nilkantha],  I. 

In  treating  of  Pralamba  Asura,  mention  is  made  of  the  non- 
perception  of  "  I  am  Brahma,'.'  VII. 

Pralamba  is  said  to  be  an  aspect  of  the  primal  Daitya  Madhw, 
IX. 


[     294    ] 

There  is  some  philosophical  discussion  about  the  concealment 
of  calves  by  Brahma,  (X  to  XIV.) 

The  first  six  sons  of  Devakl  are  the  Six  Indriyas  (including 
Manas)  and  the  seventh  is  the  Jivatma,  the  conscions  Ego.  XXXV. 

In  commenting  upon  this  sloka,  Nilkanjha  says,  "  Devaki  and 
other  names  are  merely  allegorical,  bearing  an  esoteric  meaning. 
The  narration  is  not  the  real  point."  He  further  supports  his  position 
while  commenting  on  sloka  XL,  of  Vrindavana  Kanda.  He  makes 
quotations  from  the  Skanda  Purana,  which  speak  of  the  twofold  mean 
ings  of  the  narration  texts,  one  Adhyatmika  and  another  Adhi 
bhautika,  the  former  being  difficult  to  follow.  Following  up  these 
quotations,  Nilkantha  says  ; — "  Those  that  are  not  prepared  for  the 
Adhyatmika  hindering  of  all  modifications  of  the  mind,  must  seek  the 
Adhibhautika  Lila  of  Bhagava"  n.  And  if  they  concentrate  their  minds 
on  the  holy  deeds  of  Bhagavdn,  they  acquire  the  result  of  Samadhi." 

Krishna  is  Paramatma.  The  intercourse  of  the  Gopis  was  not 
therefore  adulterous.  (XXXVII  and  XXXVIII.) 

AkruraJKdnda. 

In  this  K&nda,  Akrura  comes  to  Vraja  and  takes  Rama  and 
Krishna  to  Mathura. 

Mathuta  Kanda. 

This  part  treats  of  the  killing  of  Kansa  by  Krishna. 

Krishna  is  described  as  the  knower  of  the  hidden  names  of 
the  cows.  (It  is  to  be  understood  that  the  cows  have  hidden  names, 
Nilkantha,} 

We  now  come  to  KRISHNA  UPANISHAD,  one  of  the  Atharvana 
Upanishads. 

The  Gopas  are  Devas. 
"  Nanda  "  is  Supreme  bliss. 
"Yasoda"   is  Mukti. 

Maya  is  three-fold  S^tvika,  R^jasika  and  T^masika, 
Satvika  May&  is  in  Rudra,  R^jasika  in  Brahm&  and  Tdmasika 
in  the   Daityas. 

Devaki  (Deva  +  ki  or  chanted  by  Jhe  Devas)  is  Brahma  Vidya. 

"  Vasudeva  "  is  Nigama. 

The  "  Gopis  "  and  the  cows  are  Riks.  (Vedic  Mantras) 


[    295    ] 

Brahm&  is  the  stick  of  Krishna. 

Rudra  is  His  flute. 

Indra  is  the  horn, 

"  Gokula  Vana  "  is  Vaikuntha. 

The  trees  are  the  Rishis  of  Vaikuntha. 

The  Daityas  (T^inavarta  and  others)  are  greed,  anger  and 
other  passions.  Krishna,  in  the  form  of  Gopa,  is  Hari.  Rama  is  the 
Sesha  serpent. 

The  eight  principal   wives  and  the  sixteen  thousand  and  one 
hundred  minor  wives  of  Krishna  are  the  Riks  and  Upanishads. 
"Chanura"  is  Dvesha  (Dislike). 
41  Mushtika  "  is  Matsara  (Egoism,  Envy). 
"  Kubalaya  plda  "  is  Darpa  (pride). 
11  Vaka  "  is  Garva  (Arrogance). 
"  Rohinl "  is  Daya  (Tenderness). 
"  Satya  bhama  "  is  Ahinsa,  (Non-Injury). 
"  Agha"  is  some  fatal  disease,  such  as  consumption  &c. 

"  Kansa  "  is  Kali  (?)  (The  commentator  Narayana  says  that 
by  Kali  we  are  here  to  understand  Kalaha  or  quarrel,  for  Kansa  is  the 
incarnation  of  Kalanemi  and  Duryodhana  is  the  incarnation  of 
Kali.). 

"  Sudaman  "  is  Sama  (restraint  of  the  mind). 

"  Akrura  "  is  Satya  (Truth). 

"  Uddhava  "  is  Dama  (restraint  of  the  senses). 

"Sankha"  is  Vishnu  himself  in  the  form  of  Lakshmt. 

The  Milk  products  of  the  Gopis  correspond  to  the  ocean  of 
milk  in  the  universe. 

Kasyapa  is  the  Ulukhala  (wooden  mortar  used  in  cleansing 
rice),  to  which  Krishna  was  tied  by  Yasoda. 

The  rope  that  was  used  in  the  tying  of  Sri  Krishna  is  Aditi. 
Chakra  is  Veda. 

The  garland  Vaijayanti  is  Dharma. 
The  umbrella  is  Akasa. 
Gada  is  the  Goddess  Kalika. 

The  bow  of  horn  (Sarnga)  is  the  Maya  of  Vishnu. 
The  Arrow  is  Kala,  the  destroyer  of  all  lives. 
The  Lotus  is  the  seed  of  the  universe.     Garuda  is  the  religious 
fig  tree  named  Bhandira. 

The  following  is  taken  from  GOPI  CHANDANA  UPA- 
NISHAD.  ^ 


[     296     ] 

"  What  is  Gopt  ? 

She  who  preserves. 

Preserves  from  what? 

Preserves  people  from  Naraka,  from  death  and  from  fear." 

HARlVANSAsays:— • 

"  Kansa  is  Kalanemi, 

Kesin  is  Haya  Grlva, 

Arishta  is  son  of  Bali,  the  Elephant  is  Rishta,  son  of  Diti, 
Chanura  and  Mushtika  are  the  Asuras,  Varaha  and  Kisora. " 

PADMA  PURANA  throws  the  greatest  light  on  the  Vrinda- 
vana  Ltla  of  Sri  Krishna.  The  chapters  refer  to  the  P£tala  Khanda 
of  that  Purana. 

Ch.  38.  Of  innumerable  Brahmandas  (solar  systems),  there  is 
one  supreme  seat,  that  of  Vishnu.  Of  this  seat,  Goloka  is  the  highest 
aspect,  and  Vafkuntha,  Siva  Loka  and  others  are  the  lower  aspects. 
Goloka  is  represented  on  the  earth  by  Gokula,  and  Vaikuntha  by 
Dvaraka.  Vrindavana  is  within  the  jurisdiction  of  MathurS.  MathurA 
has  the  form  of  the  thousand-petalled  lotus,  situated  in  the  head. 

Of  the  forests  in  Gokula,  the  twelve  chief  ones  are : — Bhadra, 
Sri,  Loha,  Bhandira,  Mahavana,  Tala,  Khadir,  Bakula,  Kumud,  K£mya, 
Madhu  and  Vrinclavan.  There  are  several  sub-forests  too,  which  wit 
nessed  some  scene  or  other  of  Krishna  Ltla. 

Gokula  is  the  thousand-petalled  lotus  and  its  disc  is  the  seat 
of  Govinda. 

The  petals  are  the  seats  of  different  performances  of  Sri 
Krishna  and  are  different  occult  centres. 

The  southern  petal  contains  a  most  occult  seat,  attainable  with 
difficulty  by  the  greatest  of  Yogins.  The  south-eastern  petal  contains 
two  secret  recesses.  The  eastern  petal  has  the  most  purifying  proper 
ties.  The  north-east  petal  is  the  seat  of  fruition.  The  Gopis  attained 
Krishna  on  this  petal,  by  worshipping  Katyayani.  Their  clothes  were 
also  stolen  on  this  petal. 

The  northern  petal  is  the  seat  of  the  twelve  Adityas.  It  is  as 
good  as  the  disc  itself. 

The  north-west  petal  is  the  seat  of  Kaliya.  On  the  western 
petal,  favor  was  shewn  to  the  wives  of  the  Vedic  Rishis.  Here  the 
Asura  Agha  was  killed.  Here  is  also  the  Lake  called  Brahma.  On 
the  south-western  petal,  the  Asuras  Vyoma  and  Sankha-chuda  were 
killed. 


[    297    ] 

These  eight  petals  are  situated  in  Vrindavana.  Outside  Vrin- 
davana,  there  are  sixteen  petals.  The  first  petal  is  the  seat  of 
Govardhana.  Here  Krishna  was  installed  as  Govinda.  The  first 
petal  contains  Madhuvana,  the  second  Khadira,  the  fourth  Kadamba, 
the  fifth  Nandtsvara  (residence  of  Nanda),  the  sixth  Nanda,  the  seventh 
Bakula,  the  eighth  Tala<where  the  Asura  Dhenuka  was  killed),  the  ninth 
Kumuda,  the  tenth  Kamya  (where  Biahm^  knew  Krishna  as  Vishnu), 
the  eleventh  many  forests,  the  twelfth  Bhandtra,  the  thirteenth  Bhadra, 
the  fourteenth  Sri,  the  fifteenth  Loha,  and  the  sixteenth  Mahavana. 
The  deeds  of  Sri  Krishna  up  to  the  age  of  five  were  all  performed  at 
Mahavana. 

Vrindavana  is  the  seed  cavity  of  the  thousand-petalled  lotus. 
By  all  means  place  Vrindavana  in  the  heart  cavity.  Krishna  is  always 
a  Kisora  (between  ten  and  fifteen)  at  Vrindavana,  (*".  e.  Vrindavana 
proper,  the  particular  forest  of  that  name). 

At  the  centre  of  Vrindavana  is  the  eight-cornered  Yoga  seat 
of  Sri  Krishna.  Over  that  seat  is  a  throne  of  jewels.  The  eight 
petalled  lotus  lies  there.  The  disc  of  that  lotus  is  the  supreme  abode 
of  Govinda.  He  is  the  Lord  of  Vrindavana.  Brahma,  Vishnu  and 
Siva  are  all  His  parts.  His  primal  Prakriti  is  Radhika. 

CHAPTER  39. 

Govinda  with  Radha  is  seated  on  the  golden  throne.  Outside 
the  throne,  on  the  seat  of  Yoga,  remain  the  chief  favorites  of  Krishna, 
who  are  parts  of  RadhikA. 

Lalita  stands  on  the  west,  Syamala  on  the  north-west,  Srimatt 
on  the  north,  Haripriya  on  the  north-east,  Visakha  on  the  east,  Saivy& 
on  the  south-east,  Padma  on  the  south,  and  Bhadra  on  the  south-west. 

Then  there  is  another  group  of  eight,  Chandravali,  Chitra- 
rekha,  Chandra,  Madana  Sundari,  Sri,  Madhumati,  Chandra-rekha, 
and  Haripriya, 

Of  this  latter  group,  Chandravali  holds  almost  equal  position 
with  Radhika. 

These  are  the  sixteen  principal  Prakritis.  Then  there  are 
thousands  of  Gopis  all  devoted  to  Krishna. 

On  the  right  side  of  Sri  Krishna  are  thousands  of  Sruti  girls, 
who  chant  His  divine  mysteries.  On  the  left  side  are  the  most 
beautiful-looking  Deva  girls;  who  turn  towards  Sri  Krishna  with  the 
greatest  eagerness. 

Outside  this  inner  temple  are  the  Gopa  boys,  who  look  like 
38 


[    298    ] 

Krishna.     Srid^man  is  on  the  west,  Sud^man  on  the    north,  Vasuda- 
tnan  on  the  east,  and  Kinkini  on  the  south. 

Outwards  still  more,  inside  a  golden  temple,  seated  upon  a 
golden  seat,  adorned  with  ornaments  of  gold,  there  are  thousands  of 
Gopa  boys,  headed  by  Stoka  Krishna,  Ansu  Bhadra  and  others,  all 
devoutly  singing  the  glory  of  Sri  Krishna. 

The  whole  of  this  is  surrounded  by  a  shining  gold  wall. 

On  the  west  of  that  wall,  within  a  temple,  situated  under  a 
P^rijata  tree,  is  Vasudeva,  with  his  eight  wives,  Rukmini,  Satyabhama, 
Jambavati,  NAgnajiti,  Sulakshana,  Mitravinda,  Anuvinda  and  Sunanda. 

On  the  north,  under  a  Harichandana  tree,  is  Sankarshana  with 
Revati.  On  the  south,  under  a  Santana  tree,  is  Pradyumna  with  RatL 
On  the  east,  under  a  Kalpataru,  is  Aniruddha. 

Surrounding  all  this  is  a  white  stone  wall,  with  four  gates, 
White  Vishnu  preserves  the  western  gate,  Red  Vishnu  preserves  the 
northern  gate,  yellow  Vishnu  preserves  the  eastern  gate,  Black  Vishnu 
preserves  the  southern. 

CHAP.  41.  Rishi  Ugra-tapas  meditated  on  Sri  Krishna  for 
one  hundred  Kalpas.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  became  a  Gopi, 
named  Sunandft. 

Rishi  Satya-tapas  meditated  on  Krishna  for  ten  Kalpas,  and  he 
then  became  a  Gopi  named  Bhadra. 

Rishi  Hari-dhama  became  a  Gopi,  named  Raktaveni,  at  the 
end  of  three  Kalpas. 

Rishi  J^vali  became  Chitra-gandha  after  ten  Kalpas. 

Suchi-sravas  and  Suvarna  became  the  daughters  of  the  Gopa 
Suvira,  at  the  end  of  one  Kalpa. 

Jatila,  Janghaputa,  Ghritasin,  and  Karbu  became  Gopis  after 
three  Kalpas. 

Suka,  son  of  Dirgha-tapas,  Vy^sa  of  the  previous  Kalpa,  be 
came  daughter  of  Upananda. 

One  son  of  Svetaketu  became  the  daughter  of  BAUvani. 

Chitra-dhvaja,  son  of  Rajarshi  Chandraprabha,  became  Chitra- 
kala,  daughter  of  Gopa  Viragupta,  at  the  end  of  one  Kalpa. 

Rishi  Punya-sravas   practised   meditation  for  thirty  thousand 
Kalpas  and  he  was  born  as  the  daughter"  of  Nanda's  brother,  by  name 
Labanga\ 

These  are  some  of  the  favorite  Gopis  of  Krishna. 


[     299    I 

CHAP.  42.  The  form  of  Sri  Krishna,  as  seen  at  Vrindavana,  is 
constant.  Mathura,  Vrindavana,  Yamuna,  the  Gopa  girls,  the  Gopa 
boys,  Sri  Krishna  as  an  Avatara — are  all  constant. 

The  Gopis  are  the  Srutis  (forms  invoked  by  Vedic  Mantras), 
Deva  girls  and  devoted  Rishis,  desirous  of  liberation. 

The  Gopa  boys  are  Munis,  full  of  the  bliss  of  Vaikuntha. 

The  Kadamba  tree  is  Kalpa  Vriksha,  (a  divine  tree  that  gives 
all  that  is  desired). 

The  Siddhas,  Sadhyas  and  Gandharvas  are  the  Kokilas 
(cuckoos)  of  Vrindavana. 

Govardhana  is  the  eternal  servant  of  Hart. 

CHAP.  43.  Arjuna  wanted  to  know  the  mysteries  of  Vrinda 
vana  and  of  the  Gopis. 

Krishna  said  they  were  unknown  to  Brahma  even.  He  then 
advised  Arjuna  to  worship  the  goddess  Tripura-sundari,  as  through 
her  favor  only  he  could  know  all  he  asked  about.  The  goddess  asked 
Arjuna  to  bathe  in  a  tank  called  Kulakunda.  She  then  gave  direc 
tions  which  were  duly  performed  by  Arjuna.  The  goddess  then  took 
Arjuna  to  the  real,  constant  Vrindavana,  which  is  placed  over  Goloka. 
With  the  divine  vision,  given  by  the  goddess,  Arjuna  saw  the 
mysteries  of  Vrindavana,  and  became  full  of  devotional  love.  He 
then  asked  the  goddess  what  to  do  next.  She  then  asked  him  to 
bathe  in  another  tank,  and,  when  Arjuna  did  so,  he  became  a  female. 
A  divine  voice  said,  '•  Go  back  to  the  former  tank.  Touch  its  water 
and  you  will  attain  your  object.  There  you  will  find  your  compan 
ions." 

The  Gopis  gathered  round  Arjuna  out  of  curiosity.  One  of 
them  Priyamuda  asked  : — "  Who  art  thou  ?  How  hast  thou  come 
here  ?"  Arjuna  related  his  story. 

To  satisfy  the  curiosity  of  Arjuna,  Priyamuda  said  : — "  We 
are  all  the  dear  companions  of  Krishna.  Here  are  the  girls  of 
Vraja.  Those  are  Srutis  and  these  are  Munis.  We  are  Gopa  girls. 
Some  appeared  here  from  the  body  of  Krishna.  They  are  con 
stant,  keeping  constant  company  with  Krishna  and  moving  •all- 
over  the  universe.  Of  them,  this  is  Purna-rasa,  this  is  Rasa  Man- 
thara  (and  so  on).  Then  of  the  Srutis,  this  is  Ud'gita,  this  is  Sugita 
(and  so  on).  Then  of  the  Munis,  this  is  Ugra-tapas,  this  is  Priya- 
vrata,  this  is  Suvrata  (and  so  on).  Amongst  us,  the  girls  of  Gopas, 
this  is  Chandravali,  this  is  Chandrika,  this  is  Chandra-rekha  (and  so 
on)-  You  win  have  all  these  for  your  companions.  Come  bathe  on 


[    300    ] 

the  east  side  of  the  tank.  I  shall  give  thee  the  Mantra  of  Radhika. 
Arjuna  worshipped  Radhika  with  that  Mantra  and  she  appeared 
before  him.  She  then  gave  him  the  Mantra  of  Krishna.  With  that 
Mantra,  Arjuna  succeeded  in  getting  the  favor  of  Krishna.  He  call 
ed  Arjuna,  in  his  female  form,  and  gave  him  the  privilege  of  his. 
company.  Arjuna  was  then  made  to  bathe  on  the  west  side  of  the 
tank  and  he  then  regained  his  former  form. 

THE  BRAHMA  VAIVARTA  PURANA  follows  the  ideal  of  Padma 
Purana.  This  ideal  was  further  worked  out  and  further  revelations 
were  made  by  Chaitanya,  who  Is  believed  to  be  an  Avatara  of 
Krishna  Himself.  A  full  discussion  of  these  revelations  will  be  made 
when  we  come  to  study  the  teachings  of  Chaitanya.  No  reference 
is  therefore  made  in  this  book  to  the  works  which  appeared  and 
some  of  which  preceded,  but  were  connected  with,  the  great  move- 
ment  of  Chaitanya. 

Such  is  the  study  of  the  Vrindavana  Lila  as  authoritatively 
given  in  standard  religious  books.  It  gives  us  a  clue  to  the  mysteries, 
which  should  be  worked  out  by  each  esoteric  student  for  himself. 
The  mysteries  are  partly  allegorical  and  partly  historical.  We  shall 
first  take  the  allegorical  representation  of  the  Lila,  which  has  reference 
to  the  spiritual  development  of  every  individual  Bhakta  and  is  there 
fore  of  the  most  abiding  interest  to  all  Bhaktas. 

The  Puri  of  Mathura  is  in  every  man,  the  kingdom  of  his  own 
mind,  where  the  personal  self  is  to  be  put  down.  Mathura  is  from 
math)  to  put  down.  Lavana  (Salt),  the  demon  of  materialism  (for 
salt  is  an  emblem  of  materialism  ;  cf.  the  salt  ocean)  had  hold  of 
this  Puri  during  the  time  of  Rama,  and  Satrughna  killed  the  demon. 

But  materialism  regained  its  lost  ground  and  the  forces 
of  descent  gathered  strong  round  Kansa.  Kansa  was  Kala-nemi,  or 
the  mark  left  by  the  wheel  of  time.  Each  one  of  us  has  inherited 
through  countless  ages  a  strong  element  of  materiality,  which  tries 
to  reign  over  each  one  of  us.  This  is  the  Kansa  in  each  of  us. 
There  was  also  king  Kansa  of  the  period  when  Krishna  appeared. 
He  was  brought  down  from  his  high  platform  and  killed  by  Krishna, 
and  the  spiritual  evolution  of  humanity  became  assured. 

There  are  eight  Prakritic  principles  in  man,  corresponding  to 
eight  senses.  Earth  or  smell,  water  or  taste,  fire  or  form,  air  or 
touch,  and  akasa  or  sound,  these  enable  Jivas  to  acquire  experiences 
from  the  outside.  Ahankara,  or  the  'sense  of  egoism,  enables  man 
to  assimilate  those  experiences  to  his  personal  self,  and  to  make  a 
small  world  of  his  own  self. 


t    301     ] 

Then  there  is  Mahat  and  the  universal  sense  corresponding  to 
it.  This  sense  takes  man  out  of  the  limits  of  personality  ;  it  raises 
him  to  the  level  of  spiritual  life.  It  developes  unselfishness  and  uni 
versal  life. 

Last  of  all  is  the  eighth  principle,  Mula  Prakriti;  It  gives  the 
sense  of  perceiving  Atsna. 

Krishna  helps  the  evolution  of  the  Jivas,  by  developing  the  outer 
senses  first  and  then  the  inner  senses. 

When  the  first  six  senses  are  developed,  the  evolution  of  person 
ality  Is  complete.  The  powers  that  develop  the  senses  do  not  come  any 
more  into  requisition.  Those  powers  were  the  first  six  brothers  of 
Krishna,  who  lay  slumbering  in  the  ocean,  and  who  were  ardha- 
garbha,  as  Harivansa  says.  Their  action  was  confined  to  the  material 
stage  of  evolution  and  hence  they  are  said  to  have  descended  from 
Hiranya  Kasipu.  Kansa  had  no  difficulty  in  slaying  these  half-dead 
powers. 

The  sixth  brother  was  Balarama.  He  was  robed  in  blue,  a 
highly  spiritual  color,  the  color  of  Mahat.  He  roused  the  spiritual 
sense  of  man.  Jivas  had  wandered  away  from  their  spiritual  home, 
where  they  were  all  united,  and  each  had  made  a  separate  entity  for 
himself.  Balarama  tried  to  draw  them  together  once  more  on  the 
plane  of  Mahat.  Hence  he  was  called  Sankarshana,  and  his  instru 
ment  was  called  the  plough.  He  was  the  first  born,  as  men  cannot 
come  face  to  face  with  Isvara,  so  long  as  they  are  not  raised  beyond 
the  limits  of  personality.  Jivas  streamed  forth  from  the  plane  of 
Mahat,  presided  over  by  Atlanta  or  Sankarshana,  and  they  are  drawn 
back  to  that  plane  so  that  they  may  set  out  on  a  higher  spiritual 
journey. 

Then  came  Sri  Krishna  and  Yogamaya,  both  together.  Sri 
Krishna  was  the  highest  of  the  high,  beyond  the  May&  that  enshrouded 
the  Brahmanda.  How  could  he  come  in  contact  with  the  Jivas  of 
Brahmanda  ?  The  only  plane  of  Prakriti  with  which  He  could  come 
in  direct  contact  was  the  plane  of  Mula  Prakriti.  But  this  plane  was 
not  developed  in  humanity  as  yet.  Therefore  He  asked  Yoga 
M&ya,  the  energy  of  Jivic  evolution,  who  carries  Jiva  from  the  lowest 
to  the  highest  point,  to  serve. as  a  medium  between  Him  and  the 
Jivas.  Sri  Krishna  performed  His  mission  with  the  help  of  Yoga 
Maya.  The  Gopis  met  Sri  Krishna  because  they  worshipped 
Yoga  Maya  (Katyayani).  Sri  Krishna  had  personal  contact  with 
the  Gopis  at  Rasa,  because  He  invoked  Yoga  Maya  at  the  time  and 
got  her  help.  Yoga  Maya  is  the  highest  sense  of  which  Jiva  is  cap- 


t      302      ] 

able,  and,  when  Durga  appeared  in  her  third  incarnation  as  Yoga 
Maya,  she  was  not  to  undergo  further  incarnation  in  this  Kalpa.  To 
the  developing  sense  of  Yoga  Maya,  Siva  gave  truth  after  truth,  till 
the  highest  truths  were  revealed  to  her,  which  form  the  Agamas  and 
Nigamas.  The  revelations  to  the  developing  sense  of  humanity  are 
the  Tantras. 

Sri  Krishna  was  born  that  men  might  come  up  to  His  ideal. 
He  is  the  first  Purusha.  The  limitations  or  Maya  of  the  solar  sys 
tem  do  not  touch  Him.  He  is  the  Lord  of  many  solar  systems. 
Even  the  materials  that  form  the  solar  systems  have  their  manifesta 
tion  from  him.  Nothing  that  we  know  of,  nothing  that  we  are  com 
posed  of,  nothing  that  shapes  our  experiences,  that  causes  our  likes 
and  dislikes,  limits  Krishna.  Even  Brahma,  Vishnu  and  Siva,  the 
triune  aspect  of  the  second  Purusha,  are  limited  by  the  universe  they 
lord  over.  Siva  is  also  called  an  aspect  of  the  first  Purusha  in 
Saiva  Puranas. 

Sri  Krishna  is  Nirguna,  for  the  Gunas  we  know  of  do  not 
touch  Him.  He  is  the  Absolute,  for  the  relativities  we  know  of,  or 
which  we  may  even  think  of,  have  no  place  in  Him.  The  other 
Avataras  are  said  to  be  manifestations  of  the  second  Purusha,  But 
Krishna  is  Bhagavan  Himself,  i.  e.,  the  first  Purusha  (1-3-28). 

There  are  three  aspects  of  the  Absolute,  the  non-transforma 
ble,  which  uphold  creation.  It  is  through  these  aspects  that  all 
beings  come  into  existence,  prosper  and  dissolve.  It  is  through  them 
that  they  are  brought  nearer  and  nearer  in  every  Kalpa  to  Isvara.  In 
the  perfected  being,  the  aspects  of  sat  (existence),  chit  (conscious 
ness)  and  ananda  (bliss)  are  not  restricted  by  the  conditions  of 
the  universe  in  which  those  aspects  are  developed.  When  beings 
are  perfected  in  this  way,  they  reach  the  plane  of  Krishna,  which  is 
beyond  the  seven-fold  plane  of  the  Cosmic  Egg.  The  Gopis  are 
such  perfected  beings. 

It  will  be  out  of  place  to  enter  here  into  a  detailed  study  of 
these  aspects.  But  it  will  be  necessary  to  make  a  brief  reference  to 
them  in  order  to  understand  the  aspect  of  Bliss,  as  a  factor  in  spiritual 
Evolution. 

It  is  the  existence  aspect  of  the  underlying  ray  of  the  Absolut6* 
Brahman,  in  every  individual,  that  gives  a  continuity  to  individual 
existence,  through  thousands  of  births  and  experiences,  and  makes 
individual  evolution  a  possibility. 

The  consciousness  aspect  of  the  ray  unfolds   the   blunt   inani- 


t  303  ] 

mate  sense  into  the  most  highly  developed  mind.  It  gives  the  wis 
dom  side  of  man's  evolution,  which  leads  to  the  path  of  Jnana. 

Then  there  is  the  Bliss  aspect  of  the  ray,  which  directly  leads 
to  the  union  of  the  human  soul  with  the  Over-soul,  of  Jiva  with 
Isvara,  and  it  leads  to  the  path  of  Bhakti.  It  is  the  sensation  of 
pleasure  that  makes  the  lowest  organic  form,  the  primordial  cell, 
break  through  the  inertia  of  Tamas.  The  cell  moves  about,  either 
for  cell  union  or  for  the  assimilation  of  food,  because  these  give  rise 
to  some  sensation,  call  it  pleasurable,  if  you  like.  It  is  not  so  easy 
to  form  an  idea  of  the  sensation  of  pleasure  in  the  vegetable  kingdom, 
but  the  excitement  caused  by  the  union  of  the  sperm  cell  with  the 
germ  cell  cannot  but  strike  any  one  with  the  existence  of  some 
such  feeling,  though  in  a  most  rudimentary  state. 

Animals  feel  pleasure  in  the  company  of  their  female  partners. 
They  also  love  their  offspring.  This  gives  rise  to  family  connections, 
to  the  formation  of  society  and  of  social  virtues.  With  the  evolution 
of  body  and  mind,  pleasures  become  many-sided,  and  the  acquire 
ment  of  pleasure  becomes  in  itself  the  principal  factor  in  the  deve 
lopment  of  man.  Man  seeks  his  pleasure  outside  himself,  and  he 
does  so  either  for  himself  or  for  others.  A  point  is  reached  when 
self  is  lost  sight  of  and  self  sacrifice  for  the  good  of  others  becomes 
a  duty  of  pleasure.  Self  is  estranged  from  the  narrow  groove  of 
personality.  It  tries  to  identify  itself  with  all  beings.  There  is 
philanthropy,  there  is  universal  kindness.  Still  the  differences  cause 
unrest  and  disquiet.  Self  finds  no  rest,  till  it  seeks  its  reality,  till  it 
makes  a  homeward  journey,  for  even  its  own  personality  and  the 
outside  world  lose  all  charm  for  it.  Self  finds  bliss  in  self  void  of 
personality.  This  is  spiritual  bliss  attained  by  those  that  are  Antar- 
mukh  (facing  inwards)  and  not  by  those  that  are  Bahir  Mukh 
{facing  outwards).  Self  when  seeking  self  becomes  united  to  the 
universal  self  as  its  eternal  friend  and  its  real  aspect.  The  universal 
self  in  Vrindavana  is  Sri  Krishna.  And  the  bliss  of  the  Gopis  is 
self-attainmeftt,  attachment  to  self  or  Atma  and  not  to  non-self  or 
worldly  connections. 

It  is  to  those  and  those  only  that  eagerly  desire  to  make  this 
Inward  journey  that  the  Vrindavana  Lila  is  addressed. 

Nanda  is  bliss,  he  is  spiritual  Bliss — the  Bliss  of  an  Antar 
Mukha.  It  is  spiritual  bliss  that  attracts  spirit  unto  itself.  It  is  the 
field  for  spiritual  growth,  the  nursery  ground  of  enthusiastic  devotion 
-and,  what  is  more,  of  devotional  love.  The  ideal  spiritual  bliss  is  that 
of  Radhika  and  of  her  fellow  Gopis.  It  is  the  Bliss  aspect  of  fsvara 
that  in  the  Jiva  causes  mutual  attractions  and  makes  devotion  a  law, 


f   304  ] 

a  necessity.  Reflected  in  the  Universe  at  large,  it  is  the  one  bond 
that  holds  together  all  beings,  and  becomes  a  force  of  attraction  on 
all  planes.  Man  is  guided  by  bliss  in  his  relations  to  the  Universe. 
He  is  guided  by  bliss  in  his  relation  to  himself. 

Nanda^is  located  in  the  brain,  in  the  thousand-petalled  Lotus. 
The  spiritual  seat  in  the  head  is  Gokul,  the  first  abode  of  Nanda. 

Krishna  appears  In  Gokul.  The  devotee  sets  out  on  his  devo 
tional  journey. 

The  first  impediment  of  a  devotee  is  Mala  or  impurity.  In 
spite  of  himself,  he  cannot  get  the  better  of  his  passions,  his  person 
al  desires.  They  have  such  a  strong  and  apparent  charm,  there 
is  such  an  hereditary  and  accumulated  attraction  toward  them,  that 
they  easily  overcome  the  devotional  life  in  its  infancy.  The  fascina 
ting  Putana  overtook  all  by  her  charms  and  she  found  an  easy  access 
to  Krishna  himself.  She  made  an  attempt  to  nurse  Krishna  with  pois 
oned  milk.  She  was  killed  and  Mala  was  removed  (X.  6.) 

The  next  impediment  is  Vikshepa  or  distraction.  The  mind, 
with  its  load  of  outside  experiences  always  responding  to  the  outside 
world,  is  so  much  distracted,  thinking  now  of  this  and  now  of  that, 
that  it  has  to  be  set  right  before  further  development  is  possible. 
The  cart  has  to  be  upturned,  with  its  load  of  food-articles,  the  cart  of 
mind  with  its  load  of  experiences.  That  is,  the  man  has  to  become 
Antarmukha  (x-?)  When  this  is  done,  the  Asura  of  distraction, 
Trinavarta  or  whirlwind,  is  easily  killed  (x-?).  The  Gopis  were  now 
void  of  impurities  and  void  of  distraction  ;  yet  more  they  were  being 
attracted  to  Krishna.  Krishna  favored  them  by  stealing  the  fruits  of 
their  karma  or  action  and  accepting  them  for  himself.  Sri  Krishna 
said  to  Arjuna,  "  You  have  a  right  to  the  Karma  only  and  not  to  the 
fruits  thereof."  The  senses  of  the  Gopis  used  to  roam  about  in  the  per 
formance  of  daily  duties,  and  they  brought  back  perceptions  and  con 
ceptions  for  the  day  which  were  worked  out  by  the  Gopis  as  duty  re 
quired.  The  perceptions  and  conceptions  are  the  milk-products  and 
milk.  They  were  churned  into  the  karma  of  the  Gopis.  The  senses 
are  the  cows  ;  the  outside  objects  of  perception,  their  grass.  The 
Brahma  Vaivarta  Purana  says  : — "  Ghrita  is  obtained  from  milk, 
Yafna  is  performed  with  Ghrita,  and  all  happiness  arises  out  of  the 
performance  of  Yajna."  Ptakriti  Khanda.  The  preparation  of 
milk  products  is  the  karma  or  sacrifice  of  the  Gopis.  (x-8). 

The  husk-stand  is  the  discriminating  faculty,  that  which  se 
parates  the  husk  from  the  grains.  When  Krishna  becomes  fastened 
to  the  discriminating  faculty  (not  that  any  one  can  fasten  him  with 


t  305  ] 

any  effort  of  his  own),  when  right  and  wrong  are  centreed  in  him, 
self  becomes  abnegated  and  offered  up  entirely  to  Krishna,  Egoism 
and  ignorance,  the  pair  of  Arjuna  trees  disappear,  though  deeply 
rooted  in  man  (x-io).  When  fruits  are  offered  to  Krishna,  there  is 
a  rich  return  (x-ii). 

We  have  reached  here  a  point  in  spiritual  progress.  Person 
ality  has  been  completely  given  up.  Brain  intellect  is  jio  longer  con 
genial  to  spiritual  progress.  The  head  retards-  the  spiritual  man  and 
does  not  carry  him  forward. 

The  elders  of  Gokula  sat  in  council  and  they  decided  to  leave 
Gokula  for  Vriiidavana. 

Vrindavana  is  the  Heart.  The  eight-petalled  lotus  in  the 
heart  is  the  permanent  abode  of  Srikrishna.  The  twelve  forests  are 
twelve  centres  4x3,  the  primary  number  being  4,  the  number  of  the 
sacred  Tetraktys.  Within  the  heart,  the  only  Purusha  is  Srikrishna. 
All  others  have  to  make  themselves  passive  to  Him.  The  Gopis,  the 
ideal  devotees  of  the  Purusha  in  the  heart,  left  the  world  outside, 
their  husbands  and  homes,  and  placed  themselves  entirely  at  the  ser 
vice  of  the  Divine  Lord.  Let  us  approach  the  sublime  truths  of  the 
Vrindavana  Upasana  with  the  utmost  solemnity  possible.  Those 
who  cannot  bring  themselves  to  an  exalted  appreciation  of  the 
Vrindavana  Lila  had  better  not  read  the  Bhagavata  at  all. 

The*  Gopas  and  Gopis  went  to  Vrindavana.  Rama  and 
Krishna  headed  the  Gopa  boys  and  looked  after  the  calves. 

What  are  the  cows  and  calves  ?  Who  are  the  Gopas,  the  Gopa 
boys  and  the  Gopis  ? 

Once  more  let  us  understand  the  triad — Adhy^tma,  Adhf- 
bhuta  and  Adhidaiva.  Take  sight. 

The  sense  of  sight  comes  in  contact  with  the  outside  world 
and  carries  the  perception  of  sight  to  the  possessor  of  the  eye,  under 
the  guidance  of  a  conscious  energy.  The  senses  and  the  mind  are 
cows  or  Adhyatma.  The  outside  world  is  grass  or  AdhibhOta.  The 
possessor  of  the  senses  and  the  mind  is  the  Gopi,  the  Ego  or  Jiva.  In 
Vrindavana,  the  Gopis  are  the  highest  Jivas  or  Rishis,  as  explained 
in  the  Upantshads.  The  conscious  energy  is  the  Gopa  or  Adhi- 
deva. 

The  Adhidevas  are  the  Vedic  Devas,  as  we  have  already 
seen. 

The  Gopas  are  reincarnations  of  the  Devas,  as  explained  in  the 
Upanishads. 
39 


[    306    ] 

Ordinarily  the  Gopas  lead  the  cows  or  the  Adhi-Devas  lead 
the  senses,  but  in  Vrindavana  the  Devas  surrender  themselves  en 
tirely  to  Krishna, 

The  calves  or  the  Vatsas  are  the  modifications  of  the  senses 
and  the  mind — the  Vrittis. 

In  Vrindavana,  Rama  and  Krishna  first  tended  the  calves. 
The  Gopa  boys  were  the  attendants  of  Rama  and  Krishna,  the  pan- 
shads  or  companions  who  reached  very  near  the  state  of  divinity,  the 
work-mates  of  Bhagavan  in  the  preservation  of  the  universe. 

The  Lord  tended  the  Vrittis  of  the  mind.  Therefore  they 
could  not  go  astray. 

Now  let  us  follow  up  the  working  of  the  divine  in  the  heart  of 
the  individual  and  the  killing  of  all  obstacles. 

Vatsa>  Baka,  Agha  and  Brahmfr. — The  Vatsa  Asura  *is  a 
Vritti  of  the  mind.  If  a  non-spiritual  Vritti  becomes  unconsciously 
mixed  up  with  the  spiritual  Vrittis  of  the  mind,  it  has  instantly  to  be 
killed. 

Baka  or  the  crane,  stands  for  religious  hypocrisy.  Spiritual 
life  rejects  all  hypocrisy,  all  traces  of  untruth,  in  any  form. 

When  these  two  Asuras  are  destroyed,  a  third  Asura  appears 
on  the  scene,  the  terrible  Agha.  Agha  is  sin,  an  evil  deed.  The  sins 
of  a  man,  his  past  evil  deeds,  stand  up  for  a  while  and  swallow  up  all 
that  is  divine  in  him.  Even  Gods  can  not  overcome  Agha.  Those 
who  know  the  struggles  of  a  devotee  know  very  well  how  hard  it  is 
when  all  that  is  evil  in  man  the  accumulated  tendencies  of  innumer 
able  births,  rise  up  in  rebellion  as  it  were  at  a  certain  stage  of  his 
progress.  Who  else  but  Srikrishna  can  save  a  devotee  at  such  a 
crisis.  The  flesh  itself  has  to  be  destroyed  and  the  whole  nature 
changed.  The  devotee  undergoes  a  second  birth  as  it  were.  His 
Vrittis  are  not  the  Vrittis  of  yore  ;  even  the  energies  that  guide  these 
vrittis  undergo  change. 

Every  Brahmana  knows  the  Mantra  that  is  recited  for  the  sup 
pression  of  Agha  (Agha-marshana).  It  goes  back  to  the  pre-mani- 
festing  period,  when  days  and  nights  did  not  exist. 

The  serpent  Agha  swallowed  up  Krishna  and  his  compan 
ions. 

Krishna  came  out  victorious  and  he  revivified  his  companions. 

The  Vrittis  underwent  change  by  this  process  and  also  those 
that  guided  them.  It  was  another  creation  altogether.  The  forms 
and  varieties  of  Brahma's  creation  had  no  meaning  now  in  them. 


[    307    ] 

What  if  the  Vrittis  were  now  removed  from  the  Gopis  or  the 
Gopa  boys  kept  out  in  a  body  ?  They  all  lost  their  distinctive  fea 
tures  ;  their  differences  were  gone.  All  was  become  divine — the 
Vrittis  and  the  Gopa  boys. 

So  when  Brahma  concealed  the  calves  and  the  Gopa  boys,  he 
only  thought  of  his  o\frn  creation.  The  Vrittis  and  the  Gopa  boys 
came  out  in  divinity  which  was  now  their  only  reality.  They  were  all 
parts  of  Sri  Krishna  himself.  They  were  manifestly  sparks  or  rays 
of  Atma  itself.  The  senses  and  the  mind  were  now  irresistibly  drawn 
towards  their  calves.  The  Gopas  were  more  than  ever  attached  to  their 
boys.  Balarama  noticed  this  and  spoke  to  Krishna.  The  query  of 
Raja  Parikshit  and  the  reply  of  Suka  explain  the  whole  position.  This 
brings  us  to  the  end  of  the  KUMARA  LILA  of  Sri  Krishna  which 
prepares  the  way  for  the  union  of  the  human  soul  With  the  over-soul, 
ofJivaAtma  with  Parama  Atma.  We  come  next  to  the  POU- 
GANDA  LILA  when  Krishna  guided  the  mind  itself  and  all  were 
attached  to  Him. 

Krishna^  the  tender  of  the  cows. 

Rama  and  Krishna  were  now  in  charge  of  the  cows  themselves, 
the  senses  and  the  mind. 

The  Kaliya  serpent. 

Yama  is  the  Death-god.  The  river  Yamuna  is  his  sister. 
Kaliya  is  from  kala  or  time.  Kaliya  with  its  one  hundred  hoods  is 
the  lifetime  of  one  birth,  represented  by  one  hundred  years.  The 
serpent  could  not  be  killed  but  only  sent  away  from  Vrindavana. 
The  devotees  got  over  the  periodic  death-transformation. 

The  conflagration  aud  Pralamba. 

As  the  followers  of  Krishna  were  saved  from  death  on  the  one 
hand,  so  they  were  saved  from  conflagration  (annihilation  of  form) 
and  loss  of  the  Ego  (Balarama)  on  the  other  hand. 

In  the  kingdom  of  Divine  Bliss,  everything  now  was  div 
ine.  The  purified  mind  did  not  -go  astray.  It  remained  entirely 
attached  to  Sri  Krishna.  Personality  was  now  thoroughly  con 
quered.  The  Jiva  had  acquired  matter  congenial  to  the  plane 
of  the  first  Purusha,  and  he  no  longer  ran  the  risk  of  death 
or  annihilation.  The  Gopis  completed  their  homeward  journey 
and  they  knew  nothing  except  their  Lord  Krishna.  They  gave 
up  all  for  the  sake  of  the,  Lord.  The  L6rd  was  all  in  all  to 
them.  They  were  bound  to  Him  by  the  most  sacred  ties  of  devo 
tional  love.  We  shall  now  see  how  they  became  united  to  the 
Divine  Lord, 


[     308    ] 

The  Gopis  and  the  stealing  of  their  clothes. 

The  rains  followed  the  summer  and  there  was  a  flow  of  spirit 
uality  all  around.  The  autumn  followed  and  it  was  calm,  clear  and 
transparent. 

When  the  water  is  pure,  transparent  and  calm  and  the  sun  is 
over  it  can  anything  prevent  the  reflection  of 'the  sun's  image  on  its 
bosom  ?  The  Gopis  drew  unto  themselves  the  image  of  Sri  Krishna. 
There  was  no  muddiness  in  them  as  in  ordinary  mortals  ;  they  had  not 
the  calls  of  other  desires. 

It  is  not  till  the  ear  ceases  to  hear  the  outside  world,  that  it  is 
open  to  the  music  in  the  heart,  the  flute  of  Sri  Krishna. 

The  Rupa  of  Krishna  becomes  manifest  when  all  worldly 
Rupas  lose  their  charm. 

The  Gopis  even  smelt  the  divine  fragrance  of  Sri  Krishna  ;  they 
felt  his  divine  touch  and  they  tasted  the  honey  of  Srikrishna's 
lips. 

The  charms  of  the  world  all  dead  and  gone,  there  remains 
only  one  attraction,  that  of  Sri  Krishna,  the  only  Purusha  in 
Vrindavana. 

The  Gopis  now  had  a  right  to  approach  Sri  Krishna  as  their 
lover.  They  became  full  of  Him  (tanmaya\  and  they  worshipped 
Katyayani  (Yoga  Maya)  to  gain  their  object.  (x-2i.) 

It  was  then  that  Sri  Krishna  stripped  them  of  their  clothes 
(x-22).  No  false  shame,  no  false  considerations  should  now  deter  the 
Gopis.  They  should  lay  themselves  bare  before  Sri  Krishna.  No 
hiding,  no  half  speaking.  "  Virtuous  girls,  I  know  your  resolve.  It  is 
to  worship  me.  I  also  approve  of  it  and  so  it  must  succeed."  This 
was  the  long  and  short  of  the  whole  affair.  The  Gopis  saw  they 
were  found  out.  So  it  was  to  be  a  matter  of  open  love  now. 

We  shall  pass  over  a  few  digressions  before  we  come  back  to 
the  Gopis  and  the  consummation  of  their  love  (Rasa  Lila). 

Vedic  Brahmans  and  their  wives. 

Those  that  were  under  the  influence  of  Vedic  Yajnas  could 
not  easily  accept  the  self-sacrificing  path  of  compassion. 

The  students  of  Bhagavat  Gita  know  very  well  that  Sri 
Krishna  raised  his  voice  against  Vedic  karma  and  preached  the 
performance  of  unselfish  karma  in  its  stead.  The  Vedic  Brahm- 
anas  did  not  follow  Him  for  a  time.  But  the  tide  overtook  their  un 
selfish  wives  who  were  attached  to  the  path  of  unselfishness  and 


[     309    ] 

compassion  blended  as  it  was  with  the  path  of  devotion  to  the  Lord 
Sri  Krishna.  The  wives  brought  their  husbands  round  and  the  cause 
triumphed  in  all  India. 

The  raising  of  Govardhana. 

The  raising  of  Govardhana  is  only  a  sequel  to  the  suppression 
of  Vedic  Yajnas.  Why  are  the  gods,  headed  by  Indra,  worshipped  ? 
Because  the  Indriyas  are  their  channels  of  communion  with  men  and 
they  can  influence  men  through  those  channels.  They  are  therefore 
called  Adhi-Devas.  They  are  also  the  hands  of  providence  and 
through  them  we  get  all  the  things  of  the  earth.  But  can  they  give 
us  anything  that  is  not  allotted  to  us  by  our  own  karma  ?  If  a 
prolonged  and  unhindered  connection  with  the  manasic  world  or  a 
prolonged  Svarga  experience  is  brought  about  by  the  performance 
of  Vedic  Yajnas  it  is  on  account  of  the  superior  force  exerted 
over  the  Devas,  acquired  by  such  performances,  and  is  therefore  due 
to  karma.  The  Devas  cannot  override  karma. 

But  still  men  have  to  depend  upon  the  gods  in  their  everyday 
lives.  They  are  the  hands  of  the  karmic  dispenser.  True  they  deal 
out  things  according  to  the  karma  of  men.  But  they  give  to  men  the 
desired  objects  of  life  and  in  return  they  expect  yajna-offerings'to 
them.  This  is  the  old  law  of  the  existence  of  beings.  The  uni 
verse  itself  is  the  outcome  of  sacrifice  and  inter-dependence,  the  law 
of  giving  and  taking. 

If  men  broke  that  law,  what  wonder  that  the  gods  should  re 
sent  it !  But  there  was  a  higher  law,  governing  men  and  Devas  alike, 
the  law  of  direct  communion  with  the  lord  of  all,  the  supreme  karmic 
dispenser,  the  Adhi-yajna  of  Bhagavat  Gita.  If  men  placed 
themselves  and  their  karma  entirely  at  the  service  of  the  Lord,  where 
was  room  left  for  the  Devas  ?  Against  such  men  the  gods  them 
selves  lost  all  power. 

The  Hill  Govardhana  is  the  accumulated  karma  of  the  Gopis, 
which  gives  the  pasture  ground  for  their  cows.  Krishna  bears  the 
burden  of  His  Bhaktas'  karma,  and  He  lifted  up  the  karmic  hill  of 
his  devoted  band  with  very  little  effort  of  his  own.  And  when  Sri 
Krishna  bears  the  karma  of  His  Bhaktas,  the  Devas  are  powerless 
against  them.  It  is  karma  that  nourishes  the  senses  and  hence  the 
hill  is  called  Govardhana  (nourisher  of  the  cows). 

The  Installation. 

When  the  gods  were  displaced  from  their  position  of  leader 
ship,  whom  were  the  cows,  the  senses,  to  follow  ?  Surabhi,  the 


t  310  ] 

heavenly  mother  of  the  cows,  said  : — "  Now  that  thou  hast  taken  the 
place  of  Indra,  we  shall  call  thee  our  Indra,  or  GOVINDA."  Sri- 
dara  says,  go  means  a  cow,  as  well  as  Svarga.  Govinda  is  one  who 
acquires  supremacy  over  the  cows  or  over  Svarga.  So  the  word 
means  Indra  as  well.  But  the  peculiar  significance  of  the  word 
Govinda  has  been  elaborated  in  the  Brahma  Sanhita  and  other 
works. 

The  plane  of  the  first  Purusha,  which  is  the  common  plane  of 
innumerable  solar  systems,  with  their  sevenfold  planes,  has  two 
broad  aspects — Vaikuntha  and  Goloka.  Vaikuntha  has  reference  to 
the  solar  systems  as  a  whole.  The  energies  that  guide  the  Brahm- 
andas  proceed  from  the  plane  of  Vaikuntha.  Both  Siva  and  Vishnu 
are  aspects  of  the  first  Purusha,  but  not  Brahma.  Siva  Loka  or 
Kailasa  is  therefore  included  in  Vaikuntha.  The  plane  of  Brahma  is 
Satya  Loka  or  Brahma  Loka,  the  highest  plane  of  the  Brahmanda. 
The  worshippers  of  Brahma  or  Hiranya-garbha  reach  the  plane  of 
Brahma  Loka.  There  they  remain  till  the  Brahmanda  becomes  dis 
solved  at  the  end  of  the  life  period  of  Brahma. 

Vaikuntha  is  the  plane  of  Vishnu  as  the  first  Purusha.  He 
has  four  aspects  on  that  plane — Vasudeva,  Sankarshana,  Pradyumna 
and  Aniruddha.  His  female  aspect  is  Lakshmi.  The  worshippers  of 
Vishnu,  Preserver  of  the  Universe,  reach  this  plane. 

Goloka  is  a  higher  aspect  of  the  plane  of  the  first  Purushfl. 
There  Krishna  is  not  the  Lord  of  the  Universe.  He  is  the  Lord  of 
only  His  followers — those  that  give  up  everything  for  His  sake.  The 
highest  spiritual  life  is  on  this  plane.  In  Vaikuntha  there  is  the 
majesty  of  power.  In  Goloka  there  is  the  sweetness  of  love.  Love 
is  a  surrender  which  we  all  owe  to  Krishna,  who  makes  the  greatest 
sacrifices  for  us.  Isvara  gives  us  existence,  consciousness  and  bliss, 
so  that  we  may  develop  new  centres  that  approach  the  state 
of  Isvara,  and  when  we  do  that  we  have  no  right  to  keep 
them  to  ourselves,  but  should  give  them  back  to  Him  from  whom 
we  owe  them.  Nothing  can  please  the  Lord  so  much  as  when  we  pay 
this  willing  homage  to  Him.  He  has  full  control  over  the  senses  and 
experiences  of  the  Gopas  and  Gopis  that  dwell  in  Goloka.  He  can 
turn  them  to  any  use  He  likes.  They  are  His  own  property,  and  the 
dwellers  of  Goloka  form  His  own  household.  He  is  one  with  them 
as  they  are  with  Him.  The  highest  spiritual  life  is  in  Goloka.  Every 
kalpa  adds  to  the  number  of  the  devoted  band. 

Vaikuntha  is  represented  in  the  Dvaraka  Lila.  The  acts  of 
Sri  Krishna  that  constitute  the  Vrindavana  Lila  are  constant  (nitya). 


They  are  reproduced  in  all  Kalpas  and  on  all  the  Dvipas  or  globes 
for  the  benefit  of  all  Bhaktas.  When  there  is  the  full  manifestation 
of  Krishna  in  any  Kalpa,  the  Gopas  and  Gopis  also  appear  with  Him. 
But  His  relations  with  them  are  meant  to  serve  as  a  guide  only  for 
the  initiated  Bhaktas,  and  not  for  the  world  at  large.  Sn  Krishna  as 
an  Avatara  is  different  from  Sri  Krishna  as  the  beloved  and  the 
lover.  As  an  Avatara,  He  forces  allegiance,  and  expects  it  as  of 
right.  As  a  lover,  He  seeks  His  Bhaktas  as  they  seek  Him. 

The  Lord  of  Goloka  is  Govinda.  When  Sri  Krishna  was 
installed  as  Govinda,  he  had  a  right  to  the  company  of  the  Gopis, 
and  not  before.  The  Gopis  became  the  property  of  Govinda,  as  soon 
as  Krishna  asserted  himself  as  such.  The  Installation  precedes  the 
Rasa  LilA.  The  significance  of  this  Installation  will  never  be  lost 
sight  of  by  those  who  want  to  make  a  critical  study  of  the  Rasa 
Lila,  or  to  apply  the  ordinary  canons  of  morality  to  this  most  sacred, 
most  sublime,  and  most  soul-enchanting  act  of  Sri  Krishna — the 
RASA  LfLA. 

THE  RASA. 

Who  can  presume  to  explain  Rasa  !  What  mortal  mind  can  ap 
proach,  even  in  conception,  the  divinity,  the  sublimity  of  the  five 
chapters  on  Rasa  !  The  Gopis  were  on  the  field  of  action.  They  had 
their  husbands,  their  parents,  their  sons  ;  they  had  their  worldly  duties 
to^Derform,  some  of  them  arduous  enough  to  require  constant  atten 
tion.  When  the  time  came,  however,  for  union  with  the  Purusha  of 
the  Heart,  when  the  signal  music  was  heard,  every  Gopi  threw  aside 
all  Karma,  all  actions,  all  attachments,  all  bonds  and  offered  herself 
up  completely  to  the  Lord.  Where  is  the  glory  of  those  that  give  up 
the  world,  that  give  up  all  duties  in  life,  of  those  that  force  themselves 
out  of  all  actions  that  they  may  be  devoted  to  the  Lord  within  and 
the  Lord  without  ?  And  when  the  Gopis  approached  the  Lord,  there 
was  no  trace  of  human  passion  in  them,  no  love  of  human  flesh,  no 
idea  of  material  gratification.  They  placed  themselves  entirely  at 
the  service  of  the  Lord. 

But  there  were  those  that  had  the  yearning  to  do  so,  to  free 
themselves  from  all  material  obstacles  in  their  way,  to  offer  their 
individuality  to  the  Lord,  but  the  Prarabdha  Karma  was  too  much 
for  them.  Their  past  Karma  had  woven  a  net  round  them  which 
they  could  not  break  through.  It  was  the  yearning  which  the  Lord 
looked  to  and  not  the  overcoming  of  obstacles  in  the  way.  And 
though  they  died  with  that  yearning  only,  the  death  completed  what 
they  yearned  for,  for  then  the  Union  was  complete. 


[       312      ] 

The  Vrindavana  Lila  is  Nitya  or  constant.  The  Rasa  Lila  is 
for  all  time,  for  all  Bhaktas. 

The  night  is  the  time  for  rest  but  it  is  the  rest  of  bodily  ac 
tions,  For,  towards  the  close  of  night,  spiritual  activity  sets  in.  Men 
get  spiritual  teachings  and  spiritual  advancement  without  knowing  it 
But  it  is  only  a  few,  who  have  a  conscious  uoion  with  the  Lord  who 
manifests  Himself  in  the  heart  of  man. 

Purusha  is  one.  Jiva  Prakritis  or  Para  Prakritis  are  many. 
To  Purusha  Jiva  must  be  always  negative,  however  positive  it  may 
be  towards  the  forms  of  Apara  Prakriti.  Purusha  is  always  Male. 
And  to  Him,  Jiva  Prakriti  is  always  a  female.  As  the  Vaishnavas 
say,  there  is  only  one  male  in  all  Vrindavana  aud  that  male  is  the 
Lord  Srikrishna.  In  devotional  practice,  one  should  consider  him 
self  a  female,  the  male  being  the  Lord  of  the  universe,  as  reflected  in 
the  heart  of  every  man. 

The  Gopis  heard  the  music  and  went  to  Sri  Krishna. 

If  you  are  of  the  world,  go  back  to  the  world.  But  no,  the 
Gopis  were  not  of  the  world.  They  had  every  r.ight  to  the  union. 
And  Sri  Krishna  could  not  deny  them  His  companionship.  Nay,  it 
was  a  great  thing  to  the  Lord  Himself  that  Jivas  should  return  to 
Him  with  all  their  spiritual  experiences  that  the  Universe  might  be 
served  and  protected.  The  concession  was  natural,  the  joy  was 
mutual.  But  in  the  midst  of  the  union  itself,  there  is  a  danger,  a 
most  subtle  danger,  that  of  Egoism,  "  I  am  in  union  with  the  Lord." 
The  first  and  the  last  weakness  of  humanity,  this  I-ness  is  a  draw 
back  even  in  the  highest  spiritual  life  of  man.  The  Gopis  thought  of 
themselves  and  there  was  an  instant  break  in  the  union.  The  Lord 
disappeared.  The  Lord  incarnated  for  the  good  of  the  Universe  and 
not  of  individuals,  and  if  individuals  were  dear  to  Him  it  was  for  the 
sake  of  the  Universe.  He  was  no  special  property  of  the  Gopis. 
What  did  the  Gopis  do  ?  They  imitated  his  actions  on  the  Earth. 
They  followed  His  footsteps  whereever  found.  They  approached  the 
Lord  as  much  as  they  could  in  idea. 

At  last  they  broke  out,  "  Thou  art  surely  not  the  son  of  a  Gopi. 
Thou  art  the  inmost  seer  of  all  beings.  Implored  by  Brahma  thou 
hast  appeared,  O  friend  in  the  line  of  the  S^tvatas,  for  the  protection 
of  the  Universe." 

The  Gopis  now  realised  that  the  Lord  they  wanted  to  be 
united  to  was  the  Lord  of  the  Universe.  His  mission  was  the  pro 
tection  of  the  universe.  Could  they  share  with  Him  ?  It  was  then 


[    313     1 

and  then  only  that  they  could  expect  a  continuity  of  the  union.  It 
was  not  for  themselves  only  that  they  had  any  further  right.  But 
the  Gopis  now  cared  not  for  themselves.  They  cared  for  their  Lord, 
whom  they  no\v  knew  and  realised  to  be  the  Lord  of  the  Universe. 

And  lo  !  the  Lord  appeared  again.  This  time  there  was  union 
but  not  individual  union.  Hand  in  hand,  the  Gopis  formed  a  circle 
with  their  Lord,  not  the  individual  Lord,  but  the  universal  Lord 
making  Himself  many.  Every  Gopi  held  the  hands  of  the  Lord 
and  all  the  Gopis  collectively  formed  one  circle,  and  the  circle  went 
on  dancing  and  dancing.  Th£  Devas  looked  with  wonder  and  envied 
the  lot  of  the  Gopis.  Let  that  wonder  grow  amongst  us.  Let  us 
catch  a  glimpse  of  that  divine  dance,  that  Rasa  Lila,  that  men  may 
become  gods  on  the  Earth. 

Sudarsana,  Sankha  Ckuda,  Arishta,  Kesi  and  Vyoma, 

The  Vidyadharas  and  Yakshas  were  controlled  and  other 
obstacles  overcome.  Even  the  barrier  of  Akasa,  which  forms  the 
final  limit  of  actions  and  wisdom  in  the  universe,  was  pushed  through. 
Work  was  now  over  at  Vrindavana.  The  Bhaktas  were  now  fitted 
to  pass  across  the  limits  of  Brahmanda  to  Goloka. 

Aktuta.  With  the  advent  of  Akrura,  we  move  backwards  from 
the  heart  to  the  head,  from  the  world  of  Bhaktas  to  the  world 
at  large.  When  Kansa  presided  over  MathurS,  men  were  guided 
by  Self  in  their  thoughts  and  actions.  Jarasandha,  who  represented 

the   Brahmanism  of  self-seeking  Yajnas,   was  the    friend  of   Kansa, 

> 

Akrura  was  the  messenger  selected  by  Kansa  to  fetch  Rama 
and  Krishna  from  Vrindavana.  Kttira  is  cruel.  Akrura  is  one  who 
is  not  cruel.  It  was  not  cruelty  on  the  part  of  Akrura  to  take  Rama 
and  Krishna  to  Mathura.  He  was  no  doubt  seemingly  cruel  to  the 
Gopis.  But  he  was  kind  to  the  generality  of  mankind,  who  did  not 
live  in  Vrindavana, 

The  Gopis,  followers  of  the  path  of  Devotion,  could  not  bear  the 
sight  of  him  and  they  called  him  a  mock  Rishi.  But  he  was  really  a 
Bhakta  himself,  though  he  adhered  to  Vedic  HJ^irma.  He  performed 
the  Vedic  Sandhya  and  recited  Vedic  Mantras  ;  he  was  rewarded 
with  the  vision  of  Rama  and  Krishna  in  meditation. 

This  votary   of  Karma  'Kanda   was    a   fitting  messenger  from 
Kansa.     He  united  in  himself  the    spirituality  of  Karma  Kanda  and 
the  unselfishness  of  the  path  of  Devotion. 
40 


[    314    ] 

From  Vrindekvaha  to  MathurA  \ve  proceed  from  the  inner  man 
to  the  outer  man,  from  the  everlasting  companions  of  Sri  Krishna 
to  His  surroundings  as  an  Avatara. 

In  the  Vrindavana  Lila,  \ve  find  Krishna  in  his  relations  to 
the  holy  beings  and  to  the  Devas  who  incarnated  with  Him  for  the 
good  of  the  universe.  Whenever  a  great  Avatara  appears  on  the 
Earth,  his  companions  also  appear  with  him.  His  relations  to  his 
own  companions  serve  as  a  living  example  to  others.  They  afford  a 
lesson  to  all  Bhaktas  for  all  time.  This  part  of  the  Lila  is  based 
upon  undying,  eternal  truths,  upon  the  permanent  relations  between 
Jiva  and  Isvara.  The  heart  of  man  is  the  seat  of  this  Lila,  which 
can  be  reproduced  at  all  times,  in  the  heart  of  every  real  Bhakta. 
The  Gopis  are  the  same  now  as  they  were  when  Krishna  sanctified 
the  Earth.  They  are  the  preservers  of  the  universe,  according  to 
Gopi  Chandana  Upanishad.  And  their  ranks  may  be  increased  by 
devoted  Bhaktas  who  give  up  all  for  the  sake  of  the  universe  and  its 
Lord. 

There  is  one  point  more  in  the  relations  of  the  Gopas  and 
Gopis  to  Krishna.  Love  was  the  one  bond  which  united  them  all 
to  Him.  They  sought  him  in  their  inmost  heart,  they  talked  to  him, 
they  knew  him  as  one  of  themselves.  He  was  a  son  to  them,  a  com 
panion,  a  lover.  Whatever  pleased  the  Lord  pleased  them.  What 
ever  was  His  work  was  their  work  too.  They  abnegated  themselves. 
They  merged  themselves  entirely  in  Krishna.  There  was  no  question 
of  duty  ;  no  rules,  no  injunctions.  The  Vedas  did  not  exist  for  the 
dwellers  in  Vrindavana.  The  Smritis  were  not  written  for  them. 
They  did  not  tread  the  path  of  karma.  Love-bound,  they  gave 
themselves  entirely  up  to  Krishna  and  they  did  not  stop  to  ask  the 
reason  why,  they  did  not  stop  to  cast  a  glance  at  the  world  they  left. 

But  the  union  was  hardly  complete  ;  the  Gopis  had  scarcely 
embraced  their  friend,  their  lover,  than  he  disappeared  into  the  re 
gions  of  the  Universe.  The  message  came  that  He  was  to  be  sought 
in  the  Universe. 

The  Lord  of  the  Universe  was  not  the  lover  of  the  Gopis. 
He  could  not  be  the  direct  object  of  their  love.  But,  when  the  Gopis 
knew  that  their  own  Krishna  was  the  Lord  of  the  Universe,  they 
failed  not  to  bear  the  same  love  to  Him.  But  the  majesty  of  the 
Universe  was  ill-adapted  to  the  sweetness  of  their  domestic  love. 
They  were  out  of  harmony  with  the  lordliness  of  their  Lord 
at  Dvaraka.  So  when  the  Lord  finally  received  them  at  Kuru- 


[    315     ] 

kshetra,  the  Gopis  said  that,  home-bred  as  they  were,  they  could  not 
forget  the  lotus  feet  of  Krishna  in  their  heart.  They  were  re-united 
to  Krishna,  as  the  all-pervading  Purusha,  the  preserver  of  the  Uni 
verse.  The  veil  may  be  lifted  a  little  further.  We  have  already  seen 
that  life  in  the  higher  Lokas  is  purely  unselfish,  for,  as  the  Bhagavata 
says,  the  higher  Lokas ,are  transformations  of  Nishkama  Karma.  We 
are  to  abnegate  ourselves  before  we  can  go  to  Mahar  Loka.  This 
abnegation  can  be  accomplished  by  merging  ourselves  in  some  one 
who  stands  across  the  Triloki.  Love  alone  breaks  the  barrier  between 
man  and  man.  If  we  can  get  an  object  of  unselfish  love,  to 
whom  we  can  give  everything  that  we  have,  we  may  easily  learn  the 
lesson  of  self-surrender.  By  the  bond  of  love,  souls  group  together  in 
Mahar  Loka  and  they  learn  the  first  lessons  of  universal  life.  What 
better  object  of  love  can  one  have  than  one  of  the  Avataras  himself? 
What  union  will  be  more  glorious,  more  lasting,  more  spiritual  ? 
And  Sri  Krishna  offered  himself  for  such  love  to  those  that  are 
devoted  to  him.  And  the  most  fortunate  amongst  humanity  are 
those  that  complete  the  love-union  with  Sri  Krishna.  They  form  an 
inseparable  group  with  Him,  and  the  plane  of  their  union  is  Goloka. 
The  Vaishnavas  place  that  Loka  higher  than  Vaikuntha  Itself.  It  Is 
the  plane  proper  of  Sri  Krishna,  where  he  is  always  at  home  with 
his  Bhaktas.  There  may  be  many  centres  round  which  souls  might 
gather  in  the  higher  Lokas,  many  types  of  universal  life,  but  there 
is  none  so  high,  so  noble,  so  glorious,  as  the  ceatre  afforded  by  Lord 
Krishna.  When  Krishna  incarnates,  He  cannot  do  so  singly.  The 
Gopis  appear  with  Him.  The  Chaitanya  Charitamrita,  which  em 
bodies  the  teachings  of  Chaitanya,  says  that  the  Lila  of  Krishna  is 
reproduced  throughout  the  fourteen  Manvantaras  over  all  parts  of  the 
Brahmanda,  just  as  days  and  nights  are  produced  over  all  parts  of 
the  earth.  The  Lila  is  constantly  performed  in  Goloka,  and  it.  is 
reproduced  over  parts  of  Brahmanda,  according  to  the  will  of  Krishna. 
Vrindavana  is  only  a  reflection  of  Goloka. 

When  we  go  to  Mathura,  we  find  the  Asura  attendants  of 
Kansa  representing  all  the  predominating  vices  of  the  time.  Pride, 
arrogance,  envy  and  malice,  worldliness  and  anger, — all  that  keep  up 
the  materiality  in  man  were  to  be  found  among  the  best  of  his 

followers  and  advisers. 

• 

They  were  all  subdued  and  Kansa  himself  brought  down  from 
his  high  platform. 


When  Krishna  went  to  Mathura  and  Dvaraka,  we  find  him 
as  an  Avatara,  inaugurating  a  new  era  in  the  spiritual  history  of  the 
Universe.  We  find  him  there  in  all  His  majesty,  glory  and  divine 
lordship.  Those  who  follow  him  there  follow  the  path  of  Divine 
Lordship.  Those  who  follow  Him  at  Vrindavana  follow  the  path  of 
Divine  Love  and  sweetness. 

END  OF  VRINDAVANA  LfiX 


MATHURA  LILA 

THE  HUNCH-BACKED  GIRL  AND  THE  PANDAVAS. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  48-49. 

To  keep  his  word,  Sri  Krishna  went  with  Uddhava  to  the  house 
of  the  hunch-backed  girl.  He  gratified  her  desire  and  gave  her 
what  she  wanted. 

Sri  Krishna  then  went  with  Rama  and  Uddhava  to  the  house  of 
Akrura.  Akrura  rose  up  to  receive  them.  He  adored  Krishna  say 
ing  : — "  Thou  hast  come  down  for  the  good  of  the  Universe.  When 
ever  the  olden  path  of  the  Vedas  is  crossed  by  the  evil  paths  of  un 
believers,  Thou  dost  manifest  Thyself,  as  now,  by  the  attribute  of 
Satva." 

Sri  Krishna  said  : — 

"  Good  people  like  yourselves  are  to  be  always  adored  by  men 
and  the  Devas.  For  while  Devas  are  self-seeking,  Sadhus  are  not 
so.  The  places  of  sanctity  on  the  earth  and  idols  and  stones,  that 
symbolise  divinity,  have  the  power  to  purify  the  mind  after  long 
service,  ivhile  the  very  sight  of  Sadhus  is  purifying.  Go  thou  to  Has- 
tinapura  and  make  enquiries  about  the  Pandavas.  They  are  still 
young  and  they  have  lost  their  father.  We  hear  they  are  living 
with  Dhritarashtra.  But  the  blind  king  is  too  much  in  the  hands  of 
his  evil  sons  and  he  may  not  be  impartial  to  his  nephews.  So  enquire 
whether  his  treatment  of  them  is  good  or  bad.  When  I  know  that,  I 
shall  do  what  is  best  for  my  friends." 

Akrura  went  to  Hastinapura  awd  learned  from  Vidura  and 
Kunti  the  cruel  treatment  of  the  Pandavas  by  Dhritarashtra  and  his 
sons.  Dhritarashtra  confessed  that  he  could  not  hold  the  balance  even- 


ly  between  his  sons  and  nephews,  as  his  attachment  for    his  sons   was 
too  great. 

Akrura  returned  to  MathurA  and  informed  Rama  and   Krishna 
of  all  that  he  had  heard. 


JARA  SANDRA,  YAVANA  AND  DVARAKA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  50. 

Kansa  had  two  wives,  Asti  and  Prapti.  They  were  the  daugh 
ters  of  Jarasandha,  king  of  Magadha  (modern  Bihar).  The  latter 
king  learned  from  his  daughters  the  fate  of  Kansa  and  became  high 
ly  enraged.  He  collected  an  army  of  thirteen  Akshauhinis,  (one 
Akshauhini  consisting  of  21,870  chariots,  as  many  elephants,  65,610 
horses,  and  1,09,350  foot),  and  he  besieged  Mathura  on  all  sides. 

Krishna  thought  for  a  moment  how  he  could  best  serve  the 
object  of  his  Avatarship.  He  found  in  the  army  before  him  a  collec 
tion  of  the  forces  that  oppressed  the  Earth.  He  thought  of  killing 
the  army  and  of  saving  Jarasandha,  who  might  be  instrumental  in 
raising  such  large  armies  over  and  over  again.  "  For  it  is  to  remove 
the  weight  now  oppressing  the  Earth  that  I  have  incarnated.  I  have 
to  protect  the  good  people  and  kill  those  that  are  not  so."  Two 
chariots  came  from  the  Heavens  fully  equipped.  Rama  and  Krishna 
drove  out  on  those  chariots  They  killed  the  whole  army  in  no  time. 
Rama  fell  upon  Jarasandha  and  well-nigh  killed  him  when  Krishna 
caused  him  to  be  set  free.  Jarasandha,  in  his  disgrace,  thought  of 
practising  asceticism  but  he  was  kept  off  by  other  kings  who  con 
soled  him  with  words  of  worldly  wisdom. 

The  king  of  Magadha  was  however  not  to  be  easily  put  down. 
Seventeen  times  he  led  his  army  to  an  attack  on  Mathura,  and  each 
time  he  lost  his  entire  army  at  the  hands  of  Krishna  and  his  follow 
ers.  Before  the  fight  commenced  for  the  eighteenth  time,  Kala~ 
Yavana  appeared  on  the  field  of  battle  with  three  crores  of  Mlechha 
troops.  Krishna  held  counsel  with  Rama  as  to  the  course  to  be 
adopted.  The  brothers  might  engage  with  Kala  Yavana  in  fight, 
but  Jarasandha  would  make  havoc  in  the  meantime  amongst  their 
clansmen  at  Mathura.  So  Krishna  planned  the  erection  of  a  fort, 
within  the  seas,  where  he  might  harbour  his  clansmen  in  safety.  So 
the  fort  was  built  extending  over  twelve  Yajanas.  It  was  laid  out 
with  a  town  of  exquisite  skill  and  workmanship.  High  buildings  with 
golden  towers,  extensive  roads,  large  gardens  enhanced  the  beauty 


t  318  ] 

of  the  town.  The  Devas  offered  their  best  things  and  the  Loka- 
palas  surrendered  their  rulership  to  Sri  Krishna.  By  Yogic  powers 
Krishna  removed  his  kinsmen  to  this  town.  He  then  left  the  town  in 
charge  of  Balaram  and  himself  went  out  to  fight  with  Yavana.  (Yavana, 
is  one  altogether  outside  the  pale  of  Hinduism,  a  Mlechha.) 

Kala  Yavana  recognized  Krishna  and  pursued  him.  Krishna 
drew  him  inside  a  mountain  cave.  There  Kala  Yavana  found  a  man 
lying  asleep.  He  thought  Krishna  was  pretending  sleep.  So  he 
gave  the  man  a  kick.  That  man  had  been  sleeping  for  a  long  time 
but  he  gradually  opened  his  eyes  and  in  anger  looked  at  Yavana 
who  became  consumed  by  the  fire  proceeding  from  that  look. 


MUCHUKUNDA 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  51. 

Raja  Parikshit  asked — "  Who  was  the  man  and  why  was  he 
sleeping  in  the  cave  ?" 

Suka  replied  : — 

"  He  was  a  descendant  of  the  line  of  Ikshvaku,  son  of  the 
great  King  Mandhata,  by  name  Muchukunda.  He  had  helped  the 
Devas  in  their  fight  with  the  Asuras.  When  the  fight  was  over,  the 
Devas  showed  him  the  cave  and  asked  him  to  rest  there.  The 
Devas  blessed  him  with  a  long  sleep." 

When  Yavana  was  killed,  Krishna  appeared  before  Muchu 
kunda. 

"  Who  mayest  thou  be  with  such  overpowering  glory  ? "  the 
latter  asked. 

Krishna  replied  : — 

"My  births  and  deeds  are  infinite.  Even  I  cannot  count  them. 
At  the  request  of  Brahma,  I  am  at  present  born  in  the  line  of  Yadu 
as  the  son  of  Vasudeva,  for  the  protection  of  religion  and  for  the 
rooting  out  of  the  Asuras.  I  have  killed  Kansa  who  is  no  other 
than  Kalanemi.  I  have  killed  Pralamba  and  others.  This  Yavana 
was  also  killed  by  me,  by  means  of  the  fire  from  your  eyes.  I  have 
now  come  here  to  favor  thee,  for  I  am  bound  by  affection  to  my 
votaries.  Ask  what  boon  thou  likest.  Thou  shalt  have  all  thou 
desirest." 

Muchu  Kunda  remembered  the  foresaying  of  Garga  that 
there  was  to  be  a  Divine  Incarnation  in  the  28th  Kali  Yuga  and 


[     319    ] 

he  therefore  knew  Krishna  to  be  the  divine   Lord.     He    asked    for  no 
boon  but  devotion  to  Krishna. 

"  Truly"  said  Krishna,  "  thy  mind  is  pure  and  noble  for  it  is 
not  tempted  by  boons.  Those  that  are  wholly  devoted  to  me  do 
not  yield  to  desires.  Those  that  are  not  devoted  may  control 
their  mind  by  Pranayama  and  other  practices  but,  as  their  desires  are 
not  overcome,  they  are  found  to  go  astray.  Roam  about  the  Earth, 
with  mind  fixed  in  me.  Thy  devotion  shall  never  fail.  Wash  away 
the  impurities  of  the  present  life  with  devoted  concentration  of  the 
mind.  In  the  next  birth  thou  shalt  be  born  as  a  Brahmana  and 
become  the  greatest  friend  of  all  beings,  and  thou  shalt  then  fully 
attain  me." 

Muchu  Kunda  came  out  of  the  mountain  cave.  He  found  that 
the  animals  and  trees  were  all  short-sized  and  hence  inferred  it  was 
Kali  Yuga.  He  made  his  way  to  the  north  and  engaged  himself  in 
devotional  practices  in  the  Badrri  Asram  of  Nara  and  Narayana. 

(What  has  been  the  next  birth  of  Muchu  Kunda  ?  How  has 
he  befriended  the  universe  !  Or  is  he  still  to  come  ?) 

Krishna  came  back  to  Mathura.  He  killed  the  Mlechha  troops. 
His  men  and  cattle  were  carrying  the  booty  to  Dvaraka.  When 
on  the  way,  Rama  and  Krishna  were  attacked  by  Jara  Sandha  with  a 
large  army.  The  brothers  feigned  a  flight.  Jara  Sandha  chased 
them  with  his  army.  They  climbed  up  a  mountain.  Jara  Sandha 
made  a  search,  but  could  not  find  them.  He  then  set  fire  to  the 
mountain  sides.  The  brothers  jumped  down  eleven  Yojanas  and 
made  their  way  to  Dvaraka. 


DVARAKA  LILA. 

RUKMINI. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  52-54. 

We  have  been  already  told  of  Balarama's  marriage  with 
Revati. 

Sri  Krishna  married  Rukmini  in  the  Rakshasa  form.  (The 
seizure  of  a  maiden  by  force  from  her  house,  while  she  weeps  and 
calls  for  assistance,  after  her  kinsmen  and  friends  have  been  slain  in 
the  battle  or  wounded  and  their  houses  broken  open,  is  the  marriage 
styled  Rakshasei). 


[      320      ] 

King  Bhishrriaka  of  Vidarbha  had  five  sons,  Rukmin,  Rukma- 
ratha,  Rukma-vahu,  Rukma-kesa,  and  Rukma-malin.  He  had  also 
one  daughter  Rukmini.  (Rukma  means  bright,  radiant,  also  gold). 

Krishna  and  Rukmini  had  heard  of  each  other  and  they  made 
a  vow  of  marriage.  Rukmin  however  betrothed  his  sister  to  Sisu- 
pala,  son  of  the  king  of  Chedi.  Rukmini  secretly  sent  a  Brahmana 
messenger  to  Krishna  and  gave  him  a  letter.  The  Brahmana  was 
received  well  by  Krishna.  He  read  out  the  following  letter  of 
Rukmini. 

"  O  Achyuta,  thou  most  lovely  of  all,  my  mind  has  forced 
through  all  false  shame  and  has  become  attached  to  thee,  for  I  have 
heard  of  thy  excellences,  which  reach  the  ear  only  to  remove  all 
sufferings  and  I  have  heard  of  thy  beauty,  which  gives  all  that  is 
desired  to  the  seer  thereof. 

0  Mukunda,  O  Nrisinha,  where  is  the  girl,    however   wellborn, 
modest  and  great  she    may    be,  that    will    not    choose   thee   as   her 
husband,  unequalled  as  thou  art  in  birth,  grace,  beauty,    wisdom   and 
riches,  and  the  most  pleasing  to  all  mankind. 

Therefore  thou  art  chosen  by  me  as  my  husband.  I  offer 
myself  up  to  thee.  Come  thou  here  and  make  me  thy  wife.  Thou 
dost  deserve  to  have  me  soon.  Let  not  Sisupala  touch  me,  like  a 
jackal  touching  the  share  of  a  lion. 

If  I  have  done  virtuous  acts,  if  I  have  rightly  served  the 
great  Lord  Siva,  then  come,  O  brother  of  Rama,  and  hold  my  hand 
and  let  not  others  do  so.  The  day  after  to-morrow  is  fixed  for  my 
marriage.  Come  thou  unnoticed.  Defeat  Sisupala  and  others  and 
carry  me  away  by  force  in  the  Rakshasa  form  of  marriage. 

1  shall  tell  you  how  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  kill    my    friends 
within  the  house.     The  day  before    the  marriage  there  will  be  a  large 
gathering  outside  the  town  to  worship  the   goddess    Durga,    and  I  as 
bride  shall  be  present  there." 

The  message  was  thus  delivered.  Sri  Krishna  vowed  to 
marry  Rukmini  by  force.  He  ordered  Daruka  (His  charioteer)  to 
bring  the  chariot.  Then  he  took  the  Brahmana  with  him  and  reached 
Kundina,  the  town  of  Bhishmaka,  in  one  day. 

Kundina  was  gay  with  preparations  for  the  marriage.  Dama 
Ghosa,  the  father  of  Sisupala,  also  made  grand  preparations.  He 
came  with  a  large  retinue  to  Kundina'.  Bhishmaka  went  out  to  re 
ceive  him,  and  led  him  to  his  quarters.  Salva,  Jarasandha,  Danta- 
vakra,  Viduratha,  Paundraka,  and  many  other  kings,  friendly  to 


t      321      ] 

Dama  Ghosha  joined  him  with  large  armies.  They  anticipated  a 
fight  with  Krishna  and  Rama  and  they  came  well  prepared  for  the 
occasion.  Rama  heard  that  Krishna  went  all  alone  and  he  heard  of 
the  preparations  made  by  his  enemies.  So  he  lost  no  time  in  gather 
ing  a  large  army  and  marching  for  Kundina.  . 

Bhishmaka  heard  of  the  approach  of  Krishna  and  Rama.  He 
gladly  received  them  and  gave  them  quarters.  Rukmini,  guarded  by 
the  army,  went  to  the  temple  of  Durga  with  her  companions.  She 
worshipped  the  Goddess  and  prayed  for  Krishna  as  her  husband. 
She  then  left  the  temple  and  was  about  to  get  into  the  chariot  when 
Sri  Krishna  carried  her  off  by  force  in  his  own  chariot. 

Jara  Sandha  and  other  kings  were  defeated  by  the  Yadu 
chiefs  and  they  took  to  flight.  They  consoled  Sisupala  and  then 
each  went  to  his  own  place, 

Rukmin  vowed  that  he  would  not  return  to  Kundina  till  he 
had  killed  Krishna  and  rescued  his  sister.  He  attacked  Krishna  but 
was  defeated  by  him.  Krishna  was  about  to  kill  him  when  Rukmini 
interceded  on  his  behalf.  Krishna  then  partially  shaved  his  head 
and  chin  and  left  him.  Being  thus  disgraced,  Rukmin  made  a  town 
called  Bhojukata  and  lived  there. 

Krishna  brought  Rukmini  to  Dvaraka  and  married  her  in  due 
form. 


PRADYUMNA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  55, 

The  god  Kama  is  an  aspect  of  Vasudeva.  He  had  been 
burnt  before  by  the  fire  of  Rudra's  anger.  To  get  back  his  body,  he 
was  born  as  the  son  of  Krishna  by  Rukmini  and  became  known  as 
Pradyumna.  He  was  not  unlike  his  father  in  any  respect.  The 
Asura  Samvara,  who  was  Kama  (or  passions)  incarnate,  (Kama 
rupin),  knew  the  child  to  be  his  enemy  and  stole  him  away  and 
threw  him  into  the  sea.  A  big  fish  swallowed  him  up.  That  fish  with 
others  was  caught  in  a  large  net  by  the  fishermen.  They  presented 
the  fish  to  Samvara.  The  servant  cut  open  the  fish  and  the  child 
came  out.  They  made  him  over  to  Mayavati.  She  was  frightened 
but  Naroda  told  her  all  about  the  child.  This  Mayavati,  named  Rati, 
had  been  the  wife  of  Kama.  She  had  been  waiting  for  the  re 
appearance  of  her  husband  in  a  body,  She  was  employed  by 

41 


T   322   ] 

Samvara  as  a  cook.  Knowing  the  child  to  be  Kama  Deva,  she 
nursed  him  and  became  attached  to  him.  In  time,  Kamadeva  grew 
up  and  Mayavati  approached  him  with  expressions  of  love.  "  What 
is  this  mother  ?"  asked  Kamadeva,  "  Why  this  change  in  your  feel 
ings  towards  me  !" 

"  Thou  art  Kamadeva,  O  Lord,  son  of  Krishna.  Thou  hadst 
been  stolen  away  by  Samvara.  I  am  thy  wife  Rati.  The  Asura 
had  thrown  thee  into  the  sea,  when  a  fish  devoured  thee.  I  have  got 
thee  back  from  the  stomach  of  that  fish.  Samvara  is  an  adept  in 
many  forms  of  Maya.  Kill  him  by  means  of  Delusion  and  other 
powers  of  Maya  known  to  thee." 

Rati  gave  to  Pradyumna  the  Vidya  known  as  Mahamaya, 
the  destroyer  of  all  other  Mayas. 

Pradyumna  fought  with  Samvara  and  killed  him  with  the 
help  of  Mahamaya.  Rati  then  carried  her  husband  to  Dvaraka. 
There  the  women  mistook  him  for  Krishna  and  bashfully  moved 
aside.  Even  Rukmini  could  only  half  decide  that  he  was  her  son. 
Krishna  appeared  with  Vasudeva,  Devaki  and  Rama.  Narada 
related  the  story  of  Pradyumna's  adventures.  There  was  great  joy 
at  Dvaraka  and  people  welcomed  Pradyumna  and  his  wife.  Prad 
yumna  was  an  image  of  Krishna.  What  wonder  if  even  his  mother 
became  attached  to  him  ! 


THE  JEWEL  SYAMANTAKA,  JAMBAVATI  AND  SATYABHAMA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  56. 

King  Satrajit  was  a  votary  of  the  Sun-God.  He  got  a  pre 
sent  from  his  deity  of  the  Syamantaka  jewel.  He  came  to  Dvaraka 
with  the  jewel  on  his  neck.  He  shone  with  such  a  lustre  that  peo 
ple  took  him  for  the  sun.  The  jewel  used  to  bring  forth  16000 
palas  of  gold  every  day.  Sri  Krishna  asked  the  jewel  for  the  king 
of  the  Yadus,  but  Satrajit  would  not  part  with  it.  One  day  his 
brother  Prasenajit  rode  on  a  hunting  excursion  into  the  forests,  with 
the  jewel  on  his  neck.  A  lion  killed  him  and  his  horse  and  carried 
away  the  jewel.  The  Bear-chief,  Jambavat,  killed  the  lion  and  took 
away  the  jewel  into  his  cave  and  made  it  the  plaything  of  his  son. 
When  Prasena  did  not  return,  Satrajit  thought  that  he  had  been 
killed  by  Krishna.  People  also  suspected  him.  To  get  rid  of  this 
unjust  reproach,  Sri  Krishna  went  on  a  search  himself  with  his  men. 
He  traced  out  the  remains  of  Prasena,  the  horse  and  the  lion.  He 


[    323    ] 

then  entered  the  cave  of  the  Bear-chief,  leaving  his  men  outside.  The 
infant  son  of  Jambavat  was  playing  with  the  jewel.  Krishna  ap 
peared  before  the  boy.  The  nurse  screamed  aloud.  Jambavat  rushed 
out  in  anger  and  attacked  Krishna.  The  fight  went  on  for  twenty 
eight  days  and  at  last  Jambavat  was  overpowered.  He  then  knew  Sri 
Krishna  as  Vishnu,  the'primal  Purusha  and  prayed  to  Him.  Sri  Krishna 
said  the  object  of  his  entering  the  cave  was  to  recover  the  jewel,  as 
he  wanted  to  remove  the  suspicion  that  he  himself  had  taken  it 
Jambavat  gladly  offered  his  daughter  Jambavati  with  the  jewel  to 
Sri  Krishna.  He  then  returned  to  Dvaraka  with  his  bride  and  the 
jewel.  He  called  an  assembly  and,,  in  the  presence  of  all,  made  over 
the  jewel  to  Satrajit.  He  also  told  him  haw  he  got  it  back.  Satrajit 
felt  deeply  mortified.  He  came  back  to  his  kingdom  and  thought 
how  he  could  best  appease  Sri  Krishna  whom  he  had  offended  by 
groundless  suspicion.  At  last  he  offered  his  daughter  Satyabhama 
to  Krishna  and  also  the  jewel.  Krishna  said  : — "  We  do  not  want 
the  jewel,  O  King.  Thou  art  the  votary  of  the  Sun-God.  Let  it 
remain  with  thee.  We  shall  partake  of  its  blessings." 


SYAMANTAKA,  AKRURA,  KRITAVARMAN  AND  SATA  DITANTJ. 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  57. 

Hearing  that  the  Pandavas  had  been  killed  in  the  Lac-house, 
Rama  and  Krishna  went  to  Hastinapura  to  offer  their  condolences. 
Taking  advantage  of  their  absence,  Akrura  and  Kritavarman  said  to 
Satadhanu, — "  Satrajit  promised  the  Syamantaka  jewel  also  when 
he  made  over  his  daughter  to  Sri  Krishna.  Why  shall  not  the  jewel 
be  taken  from  him  ?  Why  shall  he  not  share  the  fate  of  his  brother  ?" 
The  wicked  Satadhanu  under  this  evil  inspiration  killed  Satrajit 
while  he  was  asleep  and  carried  away  the  jewel.  Satyabhama  went 
to  Hastinapura  and  informed  Krishna  of  the  killing  of  her  father. 
The  brothers  came  back  to  Dvaraka.  Krishna  made  preparations 
for  killing  Satadhanu  and  for  recovering  the  jewel  from  him.  Sata 
dhanu  sought  the  help  of  Kritavarman.  But  he  knew  too  well  the 
might  of  Sri  Krishna  and  he  declined  to  give  any  help.  Satadhanu 
then  turned  to  Akrura.  Akrura  knew  Krishna  as  Atman  and  he 
would  not  do  anything.  Satadhanu  however  left  the  jewel  with 
Akrura  and  fled  away  on  horse-back.  Rama  and  Krishna  followed 
him  to  Mithila.  He  left  the  horse  and  ran  away  on  foot.  Sri 
Krishna  overtook  him  soon  and  cut  off  his  head  with  the  Chakra, 


[    324    ] 

He  then  searched  for  the  jewel,  but  could  not  find  it.  Turning  to 
his  brother,  he  said,  "  For  nothing  have  I  killed  Satadhanu.  The 
jewel  is  not  with  him."  Rama  replied — "  Satadhanu  must  have  left 
the  jewel  with--  some  one.  Try  to  find  him  out.  Go  back  to 
Dvaraka.  I  shall  in  the  meantime  pass  some  time  with  my  friend, 
the  king  of  Mithila."  Rama  remained  at  Mithila  for  a  few  years. 
Duryodhana  also  came  there.  He  learned  the  art  of  fighting  with  the 
mall  from  Rama. 

Sri  Krishna  went  back  to  Dvaraka  and  told  Satyabhama  how 
he  had  killed  Satadhanu  but  could  not  find  the  jewel.  Kritavarman 
and  Akrura  heard  all  that  took  place  and  they  fled  for  their  lives 
from  Dvaraka.  In  the  absence  of  Akrura  the  people  of  Dvaraka 
suffered  from  bodily  and  mental  pain  as  well  as  disturbances  from  the 
Devas  and  the  elements.  Those  who  forgot  the  glory  of  Sri  Krishna 
attributed  all  this  to  the  absence  of  Akrura.  But  it  was  not  possible 
that  such  things  should  happen  where  Sri  Krishna  resided  (without 
His  wish.) 

"  Once  upon  a  time  there  were  no  rains  at  Kasi  (Benares). 
The  king  of  Kasi  offered  his  daughter  Gandivi  to  Svafalka  and  it 
rained  at  Kasi.  Akrura  is  the  son  of  that  Svafalka.  He  has  got 
the  powers  of  his  father.  It  rains  wherever  Akrura  lives  and  the 
land  becomes  free  from  epidemics  and  calamities." 

The  old  people  talked  thus.  Sri  Krishna  knew  it  was  not  so. 
He  sent  for  Akrura,  shewed  him  every  respect,  and  smilingly  ad 
dressed  him  thus  : — "  O  lord  of  giving  (Danapati],  Satadhanu  must 
have  left  the  Syamantaka  jewel  with  thee.  I  knew  this  from  before. 
Satrajit  left  no  son.  His  daughter's  son  is  therefore  his  true  heir. 
But  it  is  not  so  easy  to  keep  the  jewel.  Thou  dost  keep  the  ob 
servances  well.  So  let  it  be  with  thee.  But  in  the  matter  of  this 
jewel,  even  my  brother  does  not  believe  me.  Therefore  shew  it  once 
and  give  peace  to  your  friends."  Akrura  made  over  the  jewel  to  Sri 
Krishna.  He  shewed  it  to  his  clansmen,  in  order  to  remove  the 
stain  of  suspicion  against  him.  He  then  returned  it  to  Akrura. 


THE  OTHER  WIVES  OF  SRI  KRISHNA. 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  58-59. 

Sri  Krishna  went  to  see  the  Pandava  brothers  at  Hastina- 
pura.  They  gave  him  a  most  devoted  reception.  One  day  Krishna 
and  Arjuna  went  on  a  hunting  excursion  to  the  side  of  the  Yamuna. 


[     325     ] 

They  savy  there  a  most  beautiful  girl.  Arjuna  asked  who  she  was. 
The  girl  replied  : — "  I  am  daughter  of  the  Sun-god.  Desiring 
Vishnu  to  be  my  husband,  I  have  performed  great  Tapas.  I  shall 
have  no  other  husband.  Let  that  friend  of  the  friendless  be  pleased 
with  me.  My  name  is  KALINDI.  I  am  to  reside  in,  the  waters  of 
the  Yamuna  in  the  abode  built  by  my  father  till  I  see  Achyuta" 
Krishna  placed  the  girl  on  his  chariot  and  took  her  to  Yudisthira. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Krishna  got  a  town  built  by  Visvakar- 
man  at  the  request  of  Arjuna  and  the  Khandava  forest  was  burnt  by 
the  Fire-god. 

The  rains  over,  Krishna  went  to  Dvaraka  and  there  duly 
married  Kalindi. 

Vinda  and  Anuvinda,  two  princes  of  Avanti,  were  followers  of 
Duryodhana.  Their  sister  MITRA  VINDA  wanted  to  marry 
Krishna  but  they  dissuaded  her.  So  Krishna  carried  away  the  girl 
by  force  and  married  her.  She  was  the  daughtc  r  of  his  father's  sister 
Rajadhi-devi. 

In  Ko-sala,  there  was  a  virtuous  prince  named  Nagnajit.  He 
had  a  daughter  named  SATY A,  also  called  NAGNAJITI  after  her 
father.  No  one  could  marry  her  who  had  not  overcome  seven  fierce 
bulls.  Krishna  went  to  Kosala  with  a  large  retinue  and  he  was 
received  well  by  the  prince.  The  girl  prayed  to  the  Fire-god  to  have 
Krishna  as  her  bridegroom.  Krishna  overcame  the  bulls  and  married 
the  girl. 

Krishna  then  married  BHADRA  of  Kekaya,  the  daughter  of 
her  aunt  (father's  sister)  Sruta-kirtf.  He  also  carried  away  by  force 
LAKSHANA,  the  daughter  of  the  king  of  Madra. 

Naraka,  son  of  the  Earth,  deprived  Aditi,  mother  of  Indra,  of 
her  ear-rings,  Varuna  of  his  umbrella  and  Indra  of  his  seat  at  Mani 
Parvat  (Mountain  of  jewels).  Indra  complained  to  Krishna.  He 
went  with  his  wife  Satyabham^  to  Prakjyotisha,  the  town  of  Naraka. 
That  town  was  well  fortified  and  it  was  protected  by  the  Daitya  Mura 
and  his  meshes.  Krishna  forced  his  passage  through  all  obstacles  and 
had  a  fight  with  Mura  whom  he  slew  with  his  Chakra.  The  seven  sons 
of  Mura, — Tamra,  Antariksha,  Sravana,  Vibhavasu,  Vatu,  Nabhasvat 
and  Varuna, — under  the  lead  of  one  Pithha  also  attacked  Krishna,  but 
they  were  all  killed.  Naraka  then  himself  fought  with  Krishna  and 
was  killed  by  him.  The  Goddess  Earth  then  approached  Krishna 
and,  after  adoring  him,  said  : — "  This  Bhagadatta,  son  of  Naraka,  takes 
Thy  shelter.  Please  pass  Thy  hand  round  his  head," 


[     326    ] 

Krishna  gave  assurances  of  safety  and  he  then  entered  the 
house  of  Naraka.  Naraka  had  carried  away  16  THOUSAND  GIRLS 
by  force.  Krishna  sent  away  these  girls  and  much  treasure  to 
Dvaraka.  He  then  went  with  Satyabhama  to  the  place  of  Indra  and 
there  restored  rthe  ear-rings  to  Aditi.  At  the  request  of  his  wife, 
Krishna  uprooted  the  Parijata  tree  and  placed  it  on  the  back  of 
Garuda.  The  Devas  resisted,  but  Krishna  defeated  them  all.  The 
Parijata  tree  was  planted  in  the  quarters  of  Satyabhama  and  it  spread 
its  fragrance  all  round.  Krishna  married  the  1  6  thousand  girls  at  one 
and  the  same  moment  by  assuming  as  many  forms. 


KRISHNA  AND  RUKMINI. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  60. 

Krishna  and  Rukmini  were  once  sitting  together,  when,  turn 
ing  to  his  wife  with  a  smile,  Krishna  spoke  the  following  words  :  — 

"  Princess,  thou  wert  coveted  by  great  and  powerful  kings. 
Thy  brother  and  thy  own  father  offered  thee  to  Sisupala  and  others. 
How  is  it  then  thou  didst  accept  me  who  am  not  thy  equal  ?  See 
how  we  have  taken  shelter  in  the  sea  being  afraid  of  the  kings. 
Having  powerful  enemies,  we  can  hardly  be  said  to  occupy  our  kingly 
seats.  O  thou  with  beautiful  eyebrows,  woe  to  those  women  who 
follow  such  men  as  have  unknown  and  uncommon  ways  of  their  own. 
Poor  as  we  are,  wealthy  people  hardly  seek  us.  It  is  meet  that  they 
should  marry  or  make  friendship  with  each  other,  who  are  equals  in 
wealth,  birth,  power  and  beauty.  It  is  through  ignorance  and  short 
sightedness  that  thou  hast  married  one  who  is  void  of  all  Gunas 
(good  qualities)  and  who  is  praised  only  by  Bhikshus  (beggars). 
Therefore  do  thou  seek  some  Kshatriya  king  who  will  be  a  match 
for  thee.  Sisupala,  Salva,  Jarasandha,  Danta  Vakra  and  other  kings 
and  even  thy  own  brother  Rukmin,  blindfolded  by  pride,  shewed 
hostility  to  me.  For  the  repression  of  their  pride,  I  the  punisher  of 
evil  men  brought  thee  here.  But  we  are  indifferent  to  the  body  and 
the  house,  void  of  all  desires,  fixed  in  self,  all  full,  the  light  within, 
without  actions." 

(Without  anticipating  our  general  study  of  the  Dvaraka  Lila, 
it  is  sufficient  to  mention  here  that  Rukmini  is  the  spiritual  energy 
of  Mula  Prakriti,  or  rather  the  light  of  Purusha,  as  reflected  on 
Prakriti.  The  gist  of  what  Krishna  says  is  that  there  is  an  essential 
difference  between  Prakriti  and  Purwsha,  Purusha  is  void  of  Gunas, 


[    327    ] 

while  the  Gunas  form  the  essence  of  Prakriti.  Coming  from  Prakriti, 
Rukmini  must  follow  the  Prakritic  elements.  And  if  Krishna  wrest 
ed  her  away  from  the  hands  of  the  material  energies  of  Prakriti 
and  even  from  her  own  prakritic  basis  (her  brothers  and  father),  it  was 
because  the  material  energies  had  asserted  themselves  too  much. 
This  was  done  in  the  Seventh  Manvantara,  when  the  spiritual  ascent 
was  a  Kalpic  necessity.  Was  Rukmini  to  remain  wedded  to  Krishna 
for  the  remaining  period  of  the  Kalpa,  or  was  she  to  go  back  to  her 
brothers  and  their  friends  ?). 
Rukmini  replied  : — 

"  O  Lotus  eyed  !  even  so  it  is  as  thou   sayest.     I  am  quite  unlike 
thee,  the  Great  Bhagavat.     Lord  of  even   Brahma,  Vishnu   and  Siva, 
Thou  art  plunged  in  Thy  own   greatness.     What  am    I  to  Thee,  the 
Gunas  forming  my  essence  ?     It  is  only  ignorant   people  who  worship 
me.     (For  fear  of  kings,  thou    hast  taken  refuge  in  the  sea.)     But  the 
kings   are  the  Gunas,  (Sound,  Touch,  Form,  Taste,   and  Smell   which 
compose  the  object  world.)     For  fear  of  them,  as  it  were,  thou  hast 
taken  refuge  in  the  inner    ocean  of  the  heart,  and  there  thou  dost 
manifest   Thyself,  as  pure  Chaitanya.     The   object-seeking    Indriyas 
are  no  doubt  thy  constant  enemies.     But  when  thou  speakest  of  giving 
up  kingly  seats,   why  even  thy  votaries  give  them  up,  as   darkness 
itself.     The   ways  of  even   Munis  who  worship  Thy  Lotus  feet  are 
unknown  ;   what  of  thine  own  ?     When  their  ways  are  uncommon, 
what  of  thine  ?  Thou  art   poor  indeed,  for  there  is  nothing  besides 
thee,  (and    so  nothing  can  form   Thy  wealth.)     But  thou  dost  receive 
the  offerings  of  others  and  they  seek  thee.     It  is    not  through  ignor 
ance,   but  knowing  that  thou  art  the   Atm£  of    the  Universe,  that 
I  have  sought   Thee.     The  flow  of  Time  that   arises  from   Thy  eye 
brow  swallows   up  the  desires  of  even  Brahma  and  others.     I  did  not 
even   seek  them   for  Thy  sake.     What  speakest  thou  of  others  ?     As 
the  lion  carries  away  his  share  by  force  from  other  animals,  so  thou 
didst  carry  me  away  from  amongst  the  kings.     How  can  I  believe 
that  thou  didst  take  shelter  in  the  Sea  from  fear  of  such  kings  ?  Anga, 
Prithu,  Bharata,  Yayati,   Gaya  and   other  jewels  of   kings   gave  up 
their  kingdoms   and  sought  thee  in  the  forests.     Did  woe  befall  them 
that  thou  talkest  of  woe  to  me  ?  The  Gunas  have   their  resting  place 
in  thee.     Thou  art  the  home  of  Lakshmi.      Moksha  is  at   Thy  feet. 
What   foolish  woman  shall   follow  others,   neglecting  Thee  ?  I  have 
accepted  thee,  the  Lord   and  .soul  of  the  Universe,  the  giver  of  all 
blessings   here   and   hereafter.     Let  thy    Moksha-giving  feet  be  my 
shelter.     Let  those  women  have  the  kings   for  their  husbands,  those 
asses,  bullocks,    dogs,  cats,  and  servants  who  have  not  heard  of  Thee, 


(What  is  man  without  Atm$  ?)  Those  that  have  not  smelt  the  honey 
of  Thy  Lotus  feet  seek  the  dead  body,  though  it  seems  to  be  alive,  con 
sisting  of  flesh,  blood,  bone,  worms,  excrement,  phlegm,  bile  and  gas, 
covered  over  with  skin,  hair  and  nails.  (Mula  Prakriti  in  the  Universe, 
or  Budhi  in  .man,  is  wedded  to  Atma,  represented  by  Sri  Krishna. 
The  kings  represent  here  the  followers  of  material  elements  in  the 
Universe  or  in  man.) 


THE  SONS  OF  KRISHNA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  61. 

The  wives  of  Krishna  had  each  ten  sons. 

Tke  Sons  of  Ruk mini  were. — Pradyumna,  Charudeshna,  Su- 
deshna,  Charudeha,  Sucharu,  Cham  Gupta,  Bhadra  Charu,  Charu- 
Chandra,  Vicharu  and  Charu. 

The  ten  sons  of  SatyabhdntA  were. — Bhanu,  Subhanu,  Svarbhanu, 
Prabhanu,  Bhanumat,  Chandra-bhanu,  Vrihat-bhanu,  Ati-bhanu,  Sri- 
bhanu  and  Prati-bhanu. 

Jdmbavati  had  ten  sons. — Samva,  Sumitra,  Purujit,  Satajit, 
Sahasrajit,  Vijaya,  Chitraketu,  Vasumat,  Dravida,  and  Kratu. 

Ndgnajiti  had  ten  sons. — Vira,  Chandra,  Asva-sen,  Chitragu, 
Vegavat,  Vrisha,  Ama,  Sanku,  Vasu  and  Kunti. 

Kalindt  had  ten  so?ts. — Sruta,  Kavi,  Vrisha,  Vira,  Suvahu,  Bha 
dra,  Santi,  Darsa,  Purna  Masa  and  Somaka. 

Mddfi-had  ten  sons. — Praghosha,  Gatravat,  Sinha,  Bala,  Pra- 
bala,  Urdhaga,  Mahasakti,  Saha,  Ojas  and  Aparajita. 

MitrAvindd  had  ten  Sons. — Vrika,  Harsha,  Anila,  Gridhra, 
Vardhana,  Annada,  Mahansa,  Pavana,  Vahni  and  Kshudhi. 

Bhadrd  had  ten  Sons. — Sangramajit,  Brihat  Sena,  Sura,  Pra- 
harana,  Arijit,  Jaya,  Subhadra,  Rama,  Ayu  and  Satya. 

Rohini  (illustrative  of  the  16  thousand  wives)  had  Tamra-tapta 
and  other  sons. 

Pradyumna  had,  by  Rukmavati,  daughter  of  Rukmin,  one  son 
Aniruddha. 

There  were  millions  and  millions  in  the  line  of  Krishna. 
Though  Rukmin  vowed  enmity  to  Krishna,  he  gave  his  daugh 
ter  to  Krishna's  son,  out  of  regard  for  his  own  sister  Rukmini. 


f  329  ] 

Balavat  son  of  Kritavarman  married  Charumati,  daughter  of 
Rukmini. 

Rukmin  also  gave  his  grand-daughter  Rochand,  in  marriage  to 
Aniruddha, 

> ,«.  • 

.o. 

THE  DEATH   OF  RUKMfN. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  61. 

Rama,  Krishna,  Pradyumna,  Rukmini  and  others  went  to  Bhoja 
JCata,  the  seat  of  Rukmin,  on  the  occasion  of  Aniruddha's  marriage. 
When  the  marriage  was  over,  the  assembled  kings  advised  Rukmin  to 
challenge  Rama  to  a  game  of  dice.  At  first,  the  wager  was  laid  by 
Rama  at  one  hundred,  one  thousand  and  ten  thousand  gold  coins  res 
pectively.  Rukrnin  won  all  the  games.  The  king  of  Kalinga  derided 
Rama  by  shewing  his  teeth.  R£ma  did  not  like  this, 

Rukmin  then  laid  the  wager  at  one  lakh  of  gold  coins.  Bala 
rama  won  the  game.  But  Rukmin  falsely  declared  that  he  had  won 
it. 

Rarna  then  laid  the  wager  at  ten  kfores.  Rama  won  the  game 
this  time  also.  But  Rukmin  falsely  said  : — "  I  have  got  it — let  the  by 
standers  decide  this."  At  this  time,  a  voice  from  the  heavens  said 
that  Balarama  had  got  the  victory  by  fair  means  and  Rukmin  was 
telling  a  lie.  But  Rukmin  under  evil  advice  did  not  mind  this.  He 
and  the  kings  derided  Balarama.  "  Keeper  of  cows,  what  know  you 
of  games  ?  They  are  the  province  of  kings."  Balarama  could  bear  it 
no  longer.  He  took  his  club  and  killed  Rukmin.  He  then  broke 
the  teeth  of  the  king  of  Kalinga.  The  other  kings  fled  in  fear. 


BAN  A. 

SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  62-63. 

Bana,  the  eldest  son  of  Bali,  had  one  thousand  hands.  He  was 
a  votary  of  Siva.  Siva  asked  him  to  name  a  boon  and  he  prayed  to 
Siva  to  be  the  keeper  of  his  place.  Once  he  told  Siva  that  there  was 
too  much  fighting-inclination  in  his  hands,  but  he  found  no  match  for 
him  except  Siva  himself.  Even  the  elephants  of  space  ran  away  in  fear. 
Siva  said  angrily ; — "  Fool  that  thoti  art,  thou  shalt  fight  with  one 
42 


[     330    ] 

equal  to  myself.     Thy  eminence  shall  then  be  lowered."    The  Astira 
chief  gladly  waited  for  the  day. 

Bana  had  a  daughter  named  Usha.  She  met  Aniruddha  in  a 
dream.  On  getting  up,  she  exclaimed,  "  Friend  where  art  thou  ? " 
Her  attendant  Chitra-lekha,  daughter  of  the  minister,  named  Kum- 
bhanda,  enquired  whom  she  was  looking  for.  Usha  described  the  figure 
she  had  seen  in  her  dream.  Chitra-lekha  pointed  out  to  her  Devas, 
Gandhavas,  and  men,  one  after  another.  At  last,  when  she  pointed  to 
the  figure  of  Aniruddha,  the  princess  indicated  him  as  her  lover. 
Chitra-lekha  by  her  Yogic  powers  went  to  Dvaraka  and  carried  away 
Aniruddha,  while  he  was  asleep.  The  prince  and  the  princess  passed 
their  days  together  in  the  privacy  of  Usha's  apartment  The  men  of 
the  guard  found  some  significant  change  in  Usha.  They  informed 
the  King.  Bana  came  in  unexpectedly  and  he  found  his  daughter 
playing  with  a  young  man.  The  armed  attendants  of  Bana  attacked 
Aniruddha  but  he  killed  many  of  them  with  his  club  and  they  ran 
away.  Bana  then  tied  the  prince  with  serpents'  twinings. 

Narada  gave  the  news  to  Krishna.  Rama  and  Krishna,  with 
their  followers  and  a  large  army,  attacked  Sonita-pura,  the  seat  of 
Bana.  Siva  engaged  in  fight  with  Krishna,  Kartikeya  with  Pra- 
dyumna,  Bana  with  Satyaki,  Kumbhanda  and  Kupakarna  with 
Balarama  and  Bana's  son  with  Samba.  Krishna  worsted  Siva  and 
Pradyumna  worsted  Kartikeya.  Bana  then  attacked  Krishna.  After 
some  fighting  the  king  fled  away.  The  Fever  with  three  heads  and 
three  feet,  known  as  Siva's  Fever,  joined  the  battle.  To  meet  him, 
Krishna  created  the  Fever  known  as  Vishnu's  Fever.  The  two  fevers 
fought  with  each  other.  Worsted  in  the  fight,  the  Fever  of  Siva 
sought  the  protection  of  Krishna.  He  got  assurances  that  he  need 
have  no  fear  from  Vishnu's  Fever. 

Bana  returned  to  the  charge.  Krishna  began  to  cut  off  his 
hands  with  the  Chakra.  Siva  appeared  at  the  time  and  asked  Krishna 
to  forgive  Bana  as  he  had  forgiven  his  father  Bali.  Krishna  replied: — 
"  O  Lord,  I  cannot  kill  this  son  of  Bali.  I  promised  Prahlada  that  I 
would  not  kill  any  of  his  line.  His  many  hands  caused  grief  to 
Earth  and  I  have  lopped  them  off  Now  four  hands  shall  only  remain. 
With  these  hands,  Bana  shall  be  thy  constant  companion,  without 
fear  of  death  or  infirmity."  Bana  bowed  down  his  head.  He  made 
over  his  daughter  and  Aniruddha  to  KVishna. 


[    33i     ] 

NRIGA. 

SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  64. 

The  sons  of  Krishna  went  out  to  play  in  the  forest.  They 
saw  a  huge  lizard  in  a  certain  well.  They  tried  all  means,  but  could 
not  raise  it  up.  They -then  informed  Krishna.  He  raised  it,  without 
effort,  with  his  left  hand.  The  lizard  assumed  the  form  of  a  Deva. 
On  inquiry  from  Krishna,  he  thus  related  his  own  story.  "  I  am 
king  Nriga  of  the  line  of  Ikshvaku.  My  charities  Icnew  no  bounds  and 
they  have  become  proverbial.  One  cow  belonging  to  a  Brahmana 
got  mixed  with  my  herd  and,  without  knowing  that,  I  gave  her  to 
another  Brahmana.  While  he  was  taking  away  the  cow,  the  owner 
found  her  out.  The  two  Brahmanas  quarrelled  and  they  came  to  me. 
They  said  : — "You  are  a  giver  as  well  as  taker."  I  became  surprised 
and,  when  the  facts  were  known,  I  offered  one  lakh  of  cows  for  the 
return  of  the  mistaken  cow.  One  of  them  however  said,  "  I  am 
not  going  to  take  a  gift  from  the  king."  The  other  said  : — "  I  do  not 
wish  for  other  cows  even  if  they  be  ten  lakhs."  They  both  went 
away.  At  this  time  the  messengers  of  Yama  came  and  carried  me 
away.  Yama  said : — "  I  see  no  end  of  your  merits  and  the  places 
acquired  by  them.  Do  you  prefer  to  suffer  for  your  demerit  first  or 
to  enjoy  those  heavenly  things?"  I  took  the  first  choice  and  down  I  fell 
as  a  lizard  into  this  well.  Look  how  I  have  suffered  for  taking  a 
Brahmana's  property."  The  king  then  thanked  Krishna  for  his  favor 
and  ascended  to  the  heavens.  Krishna  gave  a  discourse  to  those  around 
him  as  to  how  iniquitous  it  was  to  take  a  Brahmana's  property,  con 
sciously  or  unconsciously. 


BALARAMA  AND  THE  DRAWING  OF  THE  YAMUNA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  65. 

Balarama  went  to  Vrindavana  to  see  his  old  friends.  The 
Gopas  and  Gopis  gave  him  a  warm  reception  and  they  complained  of 
the  hard-heartedness  of  Krishna.  Balarama  remained  there  for  the  two 
months,  Chaitra  and  Vaisakha.  The  Gopa  girls  used  to  join  him  at 
night.  One  day  he  went  in  their  company  to  the  side  of  the  Yamuna. 
Fermented  juice  (V&runi)  fell  from  the  trees,  as  directed  by  Varuna. 
Balarama  drank  the  juice  with 'the  Gopa  girls  and  became  intoxicated. 
He  called  the  Yamuna  to  his  side  for  a  pleasure  bath,  but  she  did  not 
came.  Balaram  thought  he  was  drunk  and  therefore  the  river  goddess 


[    332    ] 

did  not  heed  his  words.  He  drew  her  by  the  ploughshare  and  said 
in  anger  :  —  "  Wicked  thou,  I  called  thee.  But  thou  didst  not  hear. 
I  shall  tear  thee  asunder  with  this  plough."  Terrified,  the  river 
goddess  adored  Balarama  and  sought  his  pardon.  Balarama  forgave 
her.  He  then  had  a  pleasure  bath  with  the  girls.  Lakshmi  made 
presents  to  him  of  blue  clothes,  rich  ornaments  and  an  auspicious 
garland. 


POUNDRAKA  AND  THE  KING  OF  KASi  (BENARES). 

SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  66. 

Poundraka,  king  of  Karusha,  thought,  "  I  am  Vasudeva.  " 
With  this  conviction,  he  sent  a  messenger  to  Krishna,  calling  him  a 
pretender.  He  was  staying  with  his  friend,  the  king  of  Kasi.  Krishna 
attacked  Kasi,  and  both  the  princes  came  out  with  a  large  army. 
Krishna  found  Poundraka  had  the  conch,  the  disc,  the  club,  the  bow 
made  of  horn  and  the  Srivatsa,  all  his  own  symbols.  He  was  adorned 
with  the  Kaustubha  and  a  garland  of  wild  flowers.  He  had  yellow 
clothes  and  rich  crest  jewels.  He  had  Makara-shaped  ear-rings.  He 
was  seated  on  a  false  Garuda.  Seeing  Poundraka  represent  him  in 
this  way,  as  it  were  on  the  stage,  Krishna  began  to  laugh.  He  killed 
both  the  princes  in  the  fight.  Poundraka  had  constantly  meditated  on 
Hari  and  he  assumed  his  form  and  became  all  Hari  himself. 

Sudakshina,  son  of  the  Kasi  prince,  vowed  vengeance  and 
worshipped  Siva.  Siva,  being  pleased  with  his  worship,  asked  him  to 
name  a  boon.  He  asked  how  he  could  kill  the  slayer  of  his  father. 
Siva  told  him  to  invoke  Dakshina  Agni,  with  a  Mantra  of  black 
magic  (Abhich&ra}.  Sudakshina  did  so  with  the  aid  of  Brahmanas. 
The  fire  went  towards  Dvaraka  to  consume  Krishna.  Krishna  sent 
his  Sudarsana  disc  which  overpowered  the  fire.  The  fire  fell  back 
on  Kasi  and  consumed  Sudakshina  and  the  Brahmanas.  Sudarsana 
still  followed  the  fire.  The  divine  weapon  burnt  the  whole  of  Kasi 
and  went  back  to  Krishna. 

DVI-V1D  (MONKEY). 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  67. 

The  Monkey-general   Dvi-vid   was  a  minister  of  Sugriva  and 
brother  of  Mainda.     He  was  a  friend  of  Naraka,  son  of  Earth.     To 


t     333     1 

take  revenge  for  his  friend's  death,  he  began  to  do  all  sorts  of  mis 
chief,  especially  in  the  regions  of  Dvaraka. 

Balarama  was  in  the  rnidst  of  some  girls  on  the  Raivataka  hill. 
The  monkey  made  all  sorts  of  gestures  to  annoy  and  insult  the  girls 
and  he  provoked  Balarama  again  and  again  who  then  killed  Dvi-vicl, 
to  the  great  joy  of  all." 

SAMBA,  LAKSHANA  AND  BALARAMA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  68. 

Lakshana,  daughter  of  Duryodhana,  was  to  select  her  own  hus 
band,  and  there  was  an  assembly  of  princes.  Samba,  son  of  Jamba- 
vati,  carried  away  the  girl  by  force.  The  Kauravas  could  not  brook 
this  insult.  Bhishma,  Kama,  Salya,  Bhflri,  Yajna  Ketu  and  Duryo 
dhana  united  to  defeat  Samba  and  they  brought  him  back  as  a  pri 
soner.  Narada  gave  the  information  to  the  Vrishnis  and  their  chief 
Ugra-sena  gave  them  permission  -to  fight  with  the  Kauravas.  Bala 
rama  did  not  like  that  the  Kurus  and  Yadus  should  fight  with  one 
another.  So  he  went  himself  to  Hastinapura.  He  remained  outside 
the  town  and  sent  Uddhava  to  learn  the  views  of  Dhrita-RAshtra. 
The  Kurus  came  in  a  body  to  receive  Balarama.  When  the  formali 
ties  were  over,  Balarama  composedly  asked  the  Kurus,  in  the  name  of 
king  Ugrasena,  to  restore  S^mba.  The  Kurus  proudly  replied  :  "  We 
have  given  the  kingdom  to  the  Vrishnis  and  Yadus.  A  wonder  in 
deed,  they  want  to  become  our  equals  and  to  dictate  to  us  !  Surely 
the  lamb  cannot  take  away  the  lion's  game." 

Balarama  thought  how  foolish  the  Kurus  had  become.  They 
did  not  know  the  powers  of  Ugrasena  and  of  Krishna.  In  anger  he 
exclaimed,  "  I  will  make  the  earth  to  be  stripped  of  all  Kauravas  " 
He  took  his  plough  and  gave  a  pull  to  Hastinapura.  The  town  be 
came  topsy-turvy.  The  Kurus  came  and  adored  him.  They  brought 
back  Samba  and  Lakshana.  Duryodhana  made  large  presents  and 
Balarama  became  appeased.  He  went  back  with  Samba  and  his  bride 
to  Hastinapura  and  related  what  had  happened  to  the  Yadus. 


NARADA  AND  THE  WIVES  OF  SRIKRISHNA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  69. 

"  What  a  wonder  that   Srikrishna   married    16  thousand   girls, 
all    at   one   and   the1  same   time,   with  but  one  body!"     So  thought 


[     334     ] 

Narada  and  he  came  to  see  things  with  his  own  eyes  at  Dvaraka. 
He  entered  one  of  the  rooms  and  found  Krishna  seated  with  one  of 
the  girls.  Krishna  washed  the  feet  of  Narada  and  sprinkled  the  water 
over  his  body. 

The  Rlshi  entered  another  room.  Krishna  was  playing  at  dice 
with  one  of  his  wives  and  with  Uddhava.  He  entered  another  room 
and  found  Krishna  was  taking  care  of  his  children. 

So  he  entered  room  after  room.  Krishna  was  either  bathing  or 
making  preparations  for  the  sacrifice,  or  feeding  Brahmanas,  or  making 
recitals  of  Gayatri,  or  riding,  or  driving,  or  taking  counsel  of  minis 
ters,  or  making  gifts,  or  hearing  recitals  of  sacred  books.  He  was  in 
one  place  following  Dharma,  in  one  Artha  and  in  another  Kama. 

Narada  smiled  and  said  : — "  O  Lord  of  Yoga,  I  know  the  Yogic 
Maya,  by  service  at  Thy  feet,  as  it  is  manifest  in  me,  though  hard  of 
perception  by  those  that  are  themselves  under  the  influence  of  Maya. 
Now  permit  me  to  roam  about  the  Lokas,  filled  with  Thy  glory, 
singing  Thy  deeds,  which  purify  all  the  worlds." 

Sri  Krishna  said  : — 

"  O  Brahmana,  I  am  the  teacher,  the  maker  and  the  recogniser 
of  Dharma.  It  is  to  teach  people  that  I  have  resorted  to  all  this.  O 
Son,  do  not  be  deluded." 


THE  RAJA  SUYA  AND  JARASANDHA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  70-73. 

Krishna  was  holding  council  in  the  Assembly  Room  called 
Sudharma.  A  Brahmana  came  as  a  messenger  from  the  Rajas  who 
had  been  imprisoned  by  Jarasandha  and  confined  !n  a  hill  fort.  The 
Rajas  sought  their  delivery  from  Krishna,  who  had  defeated  Jarasan 
dha  seven  times  and  had  been  defeated  by  him  only  once. 

Narada  appeared  at  the  time.  Krishna  enquired  from,  him 
about  the  Pandavas.  The  Rishi  said  : — 

"  Raja  Yudhisthira  intends  to  perform  the  great  Yajna  Raja 
Suya  in  Thy  honor.  Please  give  thy  consent ".  Kiishna  turned  to 
wards  Uddhava  and  asked  for  advice.  * 

Uddhava  gauged  the  feelings  of  Narada,  of  Krishna  and  the 
assembly  and  said  : — 


t    335    ] 

"  It  is  meet  thou  shouldst  help  thy  cousin  in  the  performance 
of  Raja  Suya  Yajna  and  also  that  thou  shouldst  protect  the  Rajag 
that  seek  relief  from  thee.  Kings  all  round  will  have  to  be  conquered 
at  the  Raja  Suya  sacrifice.  The  defeat  of  Jarasandha  will  follow  as 
a  matter  of  course.  Thus  shall  we  see  the  fulfilment  'of  our  great 
desire  and  the  liberation  of  the  Rajas  shall  redound  to  Thy  glory. 
Both  ends  will  be  served  in  this  way.  But  Jarasandha  is  very  power 
ful.  He  should  not  be  fought  with  while  at  the  head  of  his  large 
army.  Bhima  is  equal  to  him  in  strength.  Let  him  fight  singly  with 
Jarasandha.  That  king  does  not  refuse  any  prayer  of  Brahmanas. 
Let  Bhima  ask  for  single  combat  in  the  disguise  of  a  Brahmana. 
Surely  that  son  of  Pandu  will  kill  him  in  thy  presence." 

Krishna  gave  kind  assurances  to  the  messenger  of  the  captive 
kings  and  left  for  Hastinapura. 

The  Pandavas  vied  with  one  another  in  shewing  respectful  love 
to  Krishna  and  Arjuna  delivered  up  the  Khandava  forest  to  Agni  and 
liberated  Maya.  In  return  for  this  kindness,  Maya  made  the  magical 
assembly  ground  for  the  Yajna. 

All  the  kings  were  brought  under  submission  by  Bhima, 
Arjuna,  Nakula,  Sahadeva  and  the  allied  kings,  except  Jarasandha. 

Bhimp,  Arjuna  and  Krishna  went  to  the  seat  of  Jarasandha  in 
the  disguise  of  Brahmanas. 

They  begged  hospitality  from  the  king.  King  Jarasandha  con 
cluded  from  their  voice,  their  shape  and  from  the  arrow  marks  on  their 
hands  that  they  were  Kshatriyas.  He  also  thought  they  were  his 
acquaintances.  "  These  are  Kshatriyas,  though  they  wear  the  marks 
of  Brahmanas.  I  will  give  them  what  they  ask  even  though  it  be  my 
own  self,  so  difficult  to  part  with.  Is  not  the  pure  glory  of  Bali 
spread  in  all  directions,  though  he  was  deprived  of  his  lordly  powers 
by  Vishnu  in  the  disguise  of  a  Brahmana?  Vishnu  wanted  to  restore 
the  lordship  of  the  Triloki  to  Indra.  Bali  knew  the  Brahmana  in 
disguise  to  be  Vishnu.  He  still  made  over  the  Triloki  to  him,  even 
against  the  protests  of  his  Guru  Sukra.  This  body  of  a  Kshatriya, 
frail  as  it  is,  what  purpose  will  it  serve  if  wide  fame  is  not  acquired 
by  means  of  it  for  the  sake  of  a  Brahmana?"  Turning  to  Krishna, 
Arjuna  and  Bhima,  Jarasandha  said  : — "  O  Brahmanas,  ask  what  you 
wish  for.  Even  if  it  be  my  own  head,  I  shall  give  it  to  you.  " 

9 

Krishna  replied : — "Give  us  a  single  combat,  if  you  please, 
O  King.  We  are  Kshatriyas  and  have  come  for  fight.  We  desire  no 
thing  else.  This  is  Bhima.  This  is  his  brother  Arjuna.  Know  me 


t  336  ] 

to  be  their  cousin  Krishna,  thy  enemy."  The  king  of  Magadha  broke 
out  in  loud  laughter.  In  anger  he  then  exclaimed  :— "  O  fools,  I  will 
give  you  a  fight  then.  But  thou  art  a  coward.  Thou  didst  run  away 
from  Mathura  and  didst  take  shelter  in  the  sea.  This  Arjuna  is  not 
my  equal  in  age.  He  is  not  very  strong.  He  is  unlike  rne  in  his 
body.  *  So  he  cannot  be  my  rival.  This  \Bhima  is  my  match  in 
strength."  So  saying  he  gave  one  club  to  Bhima  and  took  one  him 
self.  The  two  heroes  fought  outside  the  town.  The  fight  was  a 
drawn  one.  Krishna  knew  about  the  birth,  death  and  life  of  Jarasandha. 
He  thought  in  his  mind  about  the  joining  together  by  the  Rakshasa 
woman  Jara.  (The  legend  is  that  Jarasandha  was  born,  divided  in  two 
halves,  which  were  put  together  by  the  Rakshasa  woman  Jara.) 
Krishna  took  a  branch  in  his  hand  and  tore  it  asunder.  Bhima  took 
the  hint.  He  put  his  foot  on  one  of  the  legs  of  Jarasandha  and  took 
the  other  in  his  hand  and  tore  asunder  the  body  in  two  equal  parts. 

Krishna  placed  Sahadeva,  the  son  of  Jarasandha,  on  the  throne 
of  Magadha.  He  then  liberated  the  kings  who  had  been  imprisoned 
by  Jarasandha.  They  were  twenty  thousand  and  eight  hundred  in 
number.  They  saw  Krishna  with  four  hands  and  with  all  the  divine 
attributes.  Their  eyes,  tongues  and  noses  all  fed  upon  him,  as  it 
were,  and  their  hand*  were  stretched  forth  to  receive  him.  They  all 
fell  at  the  feet  of  Krishna  and  began  to  adore  him. 

"  We  do  not  blame  the  king  of  Magadha.  O  Lord,  it  is  by 
Thy  favor,  that  kings  are  deprived  of  their  thrones.  Humbled,  we 
remember  Thy  feet.  We  do  not  long  for  any  kingdom  in  this  life, 
nor  do  we  care  for  the  fruits  of  good  works  after  death.  Tell  us  that 
which  will  keep  the  recollection  of  Thy  feet  ever  fresh  in  this  life." 

Sri  Krishna  replied  : — 

"  From  this  day  forward  let  your  devotion  towards  me,  the  Lord 
of  all,  be  made  firm  and  fixed.  Your  resolve  is  commendable.  It  is 
true  as  you  say  that  riches  and  power  turn  the  heads  of  princes. 
Look  at  Haihaya,  Nahusha  Vena,  Ravana,  Naraka  and  others. 
Though  kings  of  Devas,  Daityas  and  men,  they  came  down  from 
their  lofty  position  through  pride.  Knowing  as  you  do  that  the  body 
and  all  other  things  that  have  a  beginning  have  also  an  end,  you 
should  worship  me,  perform  sacrifices  and  duly  protect  your  subjects. 
Indifferent  to  good  and  bad  things  alike,  fix  your  minds  completely 
on  me  and  you  shall  attain  me  in  the'end." 

Krishna  made  arrangements  for  their  comfort.  At  his  bidding, 
Sahadeva  supplied  them  with  kingly  dresses  and  valuable  ornaments 


[    337    ] 

and  gave  them  princely  treatment.  Krishna  sent  them  to  their  re 
spective  kingdoms.  Krishna,  Bhima  and  Arjuna  then  returned  to 
Hastinapura. 

SISUPALA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  74. 

Yudhisthira  commenced  the  performance  of  the  Yajna.  He 
asked  permission  of  Krishna  to  make  a  respectful  call  on  the 
priests  that  were  to  officiate  at  the  ceremonies.  Vyasa,  Bharadvaja, 
Sumanta,  Gotama,  Asita,  Vasishtha,  Chyavana,  Kanva,  Maitreya  and 
other  Rishis,  Drona,  Bhishma,  Kripa  and  others,  Dhritarashtra  with 
his  sons,  Vidura,  Brahmanas,  Vaisyas  and  Sudras  :  all  the  kings  and 
their  subjects  came  to  witness  the  Yajna.  The  Brahmanas  prepared 
the  sacrificial  ground  with  golden  ploughs,  They  then  initiated  king 
Yudhisthira  according  to  the  Vedic  rites.  The  Ritvij  Brahmanas 
duly  assisted  at  the  performance  of  the  RajasOya.  On  the  day  of 
extracting  Soma  Juice,  the  king  duly  worshipped  the  priests  and  their 
assistants.  Then  the  time  came  for  worshipping  those  that  were 
present  at  the  assembly.  Now  who  was  to  be  worshipped  first  ? 
There  were  many  head-men  present  and  the  members  consulted  with 
one  another  as  to  who  deserved  to  get  the  first  offering  but  they  could 
not  come  to  a  decision.  Sahadeva  then  addressed  the  meeting 
thus  :— 

"  Sri  Krishna,  the  Lord  of  the  Satvats,  deserves  the  first  place. 
All  the  Devas,  Time,  Space,  wealth  and  all  else  are  but  himself.  He 
is  the  soul  of  the  Universe.  He  is  the  essence  of  all  sacrifices,  the 
sacrificial  fire,  the  sacrificial  offerings  and  Mantras,  Sankhya  and  Yoga  ; 
all  relate  to  him.  He  is  the  one  without  a  second.  Alone,  He 
creates,  preserves  and  destroys.  By  His  favor  men  make  various 
performances  and  from  Him  they  attain  the  fruits  of  those  perform 
ances.  Give  the  first  welcome-offering  of  respect  to  that  Great 
Krishna.  All  beings  and  even  Self  shall  be  honored  by  this.  Krishna 
is  the  soul  of  all  beings.  All  differences  vanish  before  him." 

All  good  people  approved  of  the  proposal  of  Sahadeva. 

Raja  Yudhisthira  washed  the  feet  of  Krishna  and  sprinkled  the 
water  over  his  own  head  and  tJiat  of  his  relatives.  He  then  made 
valuable  offerings  to  him.  All  people  saluted  Krishna,  saying 
"Namas"  (salutation)  and  "Jaya"  (Victory),  and  flowers  rained  over 
his  head. 

43 


[     338     ] 

Sisupala  could  not  bear  all  this.  He  stood  up  in  the  midst  of 
the  assembly  and  thus  gave  vent  to  his  feelings. 

"  True  is  the  saying  that  time  is  hard  to  overcome.  Or  how 
could  even  old  men  be  led  away  by  the  words  of  a  boy?  You  leaders 
of  the  assembly  know  best  what  are  the  relative  merits  of  all.  Do 
not  endorse  the  words  of  a  boy  that  Krishna  deserves  to  get  the  first 
welcome-offering  of  respect.  Here  are  great  Rishis,  fixed  on  Brahma, 
great  in  asceticism,  wisdom  and  religious  practices,  adored  even  by  the 
Lokapalas,  their  impurities  all  completely  removed  by.  divine  percep 
tion.  Overstepping  them  all,  how  could  this  cowherd  (Gopdla)  boy, 
the  disgrace  (pansana)  of  his  family  (KAla),  deserve  to  be  worshipped, 
as  if  the  crow  (Kdka)  deserves  to  get  the  sacrificial  oblation  (puro- 
ddsa)  ?  (Sridhara  explains  this  Sloka  and  the  following  ones  as  a 
veiled  adoration  of  Srikrishna.  Gopdla  is  the  protector  of  Vedas,  of 
the  Earth  and  of  others.  The  word  go  means  the  Vedas  and  the 
Earth,  besides  "cow."  Kula  /^«j^«^  =  Kulapa  +  ansana.  Kulapas 
are  sinners.  He  who  destroys  (Ansa)  them  is  Kula  pansana.  Kdka 
may  be  read  as  compounded  with  another  word  in  the  Sloka,  in  the 
form  of  akaka.  Kdka  is  ka-haka.  Ka  is  happiness,  aka  is  misery. 
He  who  has  neither  happiness  nor  misery  is  akaka  i.  e.,  one  who  has 
got  all  his  desires.  One  who  has  got  all  his  desires  does  not  only 
deserve  to  get  the  puroddsa  offering  of  the  Devas  but  all  other  offer 
ings.  I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  reproduce  the  double  interpreta 
tion  by  Sridhara  of  the  other  Slokas,  which  is  continued  in  the 
same  strain.)  He  has  gone  away  from  his  Varna,  Asrama  and  Kula. 
He  is  outside  all  injunctions  and  duties.  He  follows  his  own  will. 
He  is  void  of  attributes  (Gunas).  How  can  he  deserve  to  be  wor 
shipped  ?  King  Yayati  cursed  his  line  and  it  is  not  honored  by  good 
people.  His  clansmen  are  addicted  to  unnecessary  drinking.  How 
can  he  deserve  to  be  worshipped  ?  They  left  the  the  lands  where  the 
Rishis  dwell,  and  made  their  fort  on  the  Sea  ;  moreover  they  oppress 
their  subjects  like  robbers." 

Sisupala  went  on  in  this  way  and  Krishna  did  not  say  a  word. 
The  lion  heeds  not  the  jackal's  cry.  The  members  of  the  Assembly 
closed  their  ears  and  went  away,  cursing  Sisupala  in  anger.  They 
could  not  hear  the  calumny  of  Bhagavat.  For  he  who  hears  the  calum 
ny  of  Bhagavat  and  of  those  that  are  devoted  to  him  and  does  not 
leave  the  place  goes  downwards,  deprived  of  all  merits.  The  sons  of 
Pandu  and  their  allies  of  Matsya,  Kaikaya  and  Srinjaya,  took  up  arms 
to  kill  Sisupala.  Sisupala  also  took  his  shield  and  sword  and  reprov 
ed  the  kings  on  the  side  of  Krishna.  Krishna  then  rose  up  and 


[    339    ] 

asked  his  followers  to  desist.  He  cut  off  the  head  of  Sisupala  with 
the  Chakra.  A  flame  like  a  glowing  meteor  rose  from  the  body  of 
Sisupala  and  entered  Sri  Krishna.  For  three  births,  Sisupala  had 
constantly  followed  Vishnu  in  enmity.  By  this  constant  though  hostile 
meditation,  he  attained  the  state  of  that  he  meditated  upon.  (The 
readers  are  reminded  here  of  the  story  of  Jaya  and  Vijaya,  the  gate 
keepers  of  Vishnu  in  Vaikuntha). 

The  Rajasuya  sacrifice  came  to  a  close.  Raja  Yudhisthira  per 
formed  the  bathing  ceremony,  enjoined  at  the  close  of  a  sacrifice  (ava- 
bhritha). 

THE  SLIGHT  OF  DUKYODHANA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  75. 

The  fame  of  Yudhisthira  went  abroad.  All  sang  the  glory  of 
the  Rajasuya  sacrifice.  Duryodhana  became  filled  with  jealousy. 
One  clay  king  Yudhisthira  was  seated  on  a  golden  throne  in  the 
assembly  hall,  prepared  by  Maya,  with  Krishna  and  others  around 
him.  The  proud  Duryodhana,  surrounded  by  his  brothers,  entered  the 
place  with  crown  on  his  head  and  sword  in  his  hand,  showering  abuse 
on  the  gate-keepers  and  others.  He  took  land  to  be  water  and  drew 
up  his  clothes.  He  also  took  water  to  be  land  and  wet  himself.  The 
Maya  (Magic),  displayed  by  Maya,  in  the  preparation  of  the  assem 
bly  ground,  caused  this  delusion.  Bhima  laughed,  and  the  females  and 
other  kings  laughed  too,  though  forbidden  by  Yudhisthira.  Krishna 
however  approved  their  laughter. 

Overpowered  with  shame,  with  his  head  cast  down,  Duryodha 
na  silently  left  the  place  and  went  to  Hastinapura. 

Krishna  kept  quiet.  He  wished  to  relieve  the  Earth  of  the 
weight  of  the  Daityas  who  were  oppressing  her.  It  was  only  His 
will  that  Duryodhana  should  thus  be  deluded  (and  the  disastrous 
results  would  follow). 

SALVA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  76-77. 

When  Krishna  carried  away  Rukmini,  he  defeated  the  kings 
in  battle  and,  amongst  others,  he  defeated  Salva,  king  of  Soubha,  the 
friend  of  Sisupala.  Salva  vowed  at  the  time  to  kill  all  Yadavas.  He 
ate  only  a  handful  of  dust  and  worshipped  Siva.  After  a  year,  Siva 


f     340    ] 

became  pleased  with  his  worship  and  asked  the  king  to  name  a  boon. 
He  prayed  for  an  invulnerable  chariot  that  would  carry  terror  to  the 
Yadavas.  At  the  bidding  of  Siva,  Maya  prepared  an  iron  chariot, 
called  Soubha,  which  could  move  at  will  to  any  place,  Mounted  on 
this  chariot,  Salva  attacked  Dvaraka,  with  his  large  army.  He  threw 
weapons,  stones,  trees  and  serpents  from  above  and  demolished  walls 
and  gardens.  The  people  of  Dvaraka  became  very  much  oppressed. 
Pradyumna  and  other  Yadavas  engaged  in  fight  with  Salva  and  his 
army.  Salva's  chariot  was  sometimes  visible  and  sometimes  not.  It 
now  rose  high  and  now  came  low.  With  difficulty,  Pradyumna  killed 
Dyumat,  the  general  of  Salva.  But  still  the  fight  went  on  for  seven 
days  and  seven  nights.  Krishna  had  been  at  Hastinapura.  He  felt 
misgivings  and  hurried  to  Dvaraka  with  Rama.  The  fight  was  then 
going  on.  Krishna  placed  Rama  in  charge  of  the  town  and  himself 
went  to  fight  with  Salva.  Salva  tauntingly  addressed  Krishna  who 
gave  the  king  a  heavy  blow  with  his  club.  Salva  disappeared. 
Instantly  a  man  carne  and  informed  Krishna  that  he  was  a  messenger 
from  Devaki.  Salva  had  carried  away  his  father  Vasudeva. 

Krishna  asked  : — "  How  could  Salva  conquer  Rama  so  as  to 
carry  away  my  father?"  But  he  had  scarcely  finished  when  Salva 
appeared  with  somebody  like  Vasudeva,  saying  "  O  fool,  here  is  your 
father.  I  will  kill  him  in  your  presence.  Save  him,  if  you  can."  He 
then  cut  off  the  head  of  Vasudeva,  and  entered  the  chariot.  Krishna 
found  this  was  all  the  Maya  of  Salva  and  in  reality  his  father  was 
neither  carried  off  nor  killed.  He  broke  the  chariot  Soubha  with  his 
club.  Salva  left  the  chariot  and  stood  upon  earth,  club  in  hand. 
Krishna  cut  off  his  hands  and  then  cut  off  his  head  with  the  Chakra. 


DANTA— VAKRA  AND  VIDURATHA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  78. 

Danta-Vakra  was  the  friend  of  Sisupala,  Salva  and  Paundraka. 
He  came  to  attack  Sri  Krishna  with  club  in  hand  and,  seeing  him, 
exclaimed  : — "  It  is  good  fortune,  that  I  see  you.  You  are  our  cousin. 
But  still  you  have  killed  our  friends  and  you  now  want  to  kill  me.  I 
will  therefore  kill  you  with  this  club."  (Sridhara  gives  a  second  mean 
ing  to  this  Sloka.  At  the  end  of  his  third  birth  Danta  Vakra  was  to 
regain  his  place  in  Vaikuntha.  Sisupala  and  Danta  Vakra,  as  explain 
ed  before,  were  Jaya  and  Vijaya,  gate-keepers  of  Vaikuntha.  By  the 
curse  of  the  Kumaras,  they  incarnated  as  Asuras.  The  third  and 


[    34i     ] 

last  cycle  of  material  ascendancy  was  to  be  ended.  Jaya  and  Vijaya 
were  not  to  incarnate  any  more.  Therefore  Danta-Vakra  exclaimed 
that  it  was  his  good  fortune  to  meet  Krishna  and  so  on).  Krishna 
struck  him  with  his  club  and  killed  him.  A  flame  arose  from  the 
body  of  Danta-Vakra,  as  from  that  of  Sisupala,  and  it  entered  Sri 
Krishna. 

Viduratha,  the  brother  of  Danta-Vakra  was  afflicted  with  grief 
at  the  death  of  his  brother.  He  now  attacked  Krishna.  Krishna  cut 
off  his  head  with  the  Chakra. 


BALARAMA  AND  THE  DEATH  OF  ROMAHARSHANA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  78-79. 

Balarama  heard  that  the  Kurus  and  Pandavas  were  making 
preparations  for  a  mutual  fight.  He  belonged  to  neither  side.  So  he 
went  out  on  pretext  of  a  pilgrimage.  He  went  to  Prabhasa  and 
performed  the  ablution  ceremonies.  He  went  to  several  other  places 
and  at  last  reached  the  Naimisha  forest.  The  Rishis  all  rose  up  to 
receive  him.  Romaharshana,  the  disciple  of  Vyasa,  did  not  leave 
his  seat.  He  belonged  to  the  Suta  community, — a  mixed  class,  born 
of  Kshatriya  father  and  Brahmana  mother, — but  he  took  his  seat  higher 
than  that  of  the  Brahmanas.  Balarama  thought  that  the  Suta  had 
learned  the  Itihasas,  Puranas  and  all  Dharma  Sastras  from  Vyasa  but 
he  had  not  learned  humility  and  self-control  and  that  he  had  become 
proud  of  his  wisdom.  Balarama  cut  off  his  head  with  the  tip  of  a 
Kusa  grass.  The  Rishis  broke  forth  into  loud  cries  of  lamentation. 
Addressing  Balarama,  they  said  :  "O  lord!  thou  hast  done  a  wrong. 
We  gave  him  this  seat  of  a  Brahmana.  We  gave  him  age  and  free 
dom  from  fatigue,  till  the  Yajna  was  completed.  Not  knowing  this, 
thou  hast  killed  one  who  was,  while  on  his  seat,  a  Brahmana. 
Thou  art  not  regulated  by  the  Vedas.  But  of  thy  own  accord,  do  thou 
perform  some  Prayaschitta,  and  thereby  shew  an  example  to  other 
people."  Balarama  enquired  what  he  was  to  do.  The  Rishi  asked  him 
to  do  that  by  which  their  words  as  well  as  the  act  of  Balarama  both 
might  prove  true.  Balarama  said  :  "  One's  son  is  one's  own  self.  So 
say  the  Vedas.  Therefore  the,  son  of  Romaharshana,  Ugrasravas, 
shall  be  your  reciter  of  Puranas.  He  shall  have  long  life  and  freedom 
from  fatigue.  What  am  I  to  do,  O  Rishis,  by  which  I  may  atone 
for  my  deed  ?" 


[    342    ] 

The  Rishis  asked  Balarama  to  kill  Valvala,  son  of  the  Danava 
Ilvala,  who  used  to  pollute  the  sacrificial  ground'  on  certain  days  of 
the  moon.  They  also  asked  Rama  to  travel  all  over  Bharata  Varsha 
for  twelve  months,  and  take  his  bath  at  the  sacred  places. 

Rama-killed  Valvala  and  went  out  on  pilgrimage.  On  his 
return  to  Prabhasa  he  heard  about  the  death  x^f  the  Kshatriya  kings 
in  the  war  between  the  Kurus  and  the  Pandavas.  He  went  to  Ku- 
rukshetra.  Bhima  and  Duryodhana  were  then  fighting  with  each  other 
with  their  clubs.  Balarama  tried  to  bring  about  peace.  But  they  did 
not  heed  his  words.  He  then  returned  to  Dvaraka. 

Balarama  once  more  went  to  Naimisha  and  he  was  adored  by 
the  Rishis. 


SRfDAMAN. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  80-81. 

Krishna  had  a  Brahmana  fellow-student,  by  name  Sridaman. 
He  was  well-read  in  the  Vedas,  self  controlled  and  contented.  He 
had  a  wife.  He  lived  on  whatever  was  freely  given  to  him  by  others. 
His  wife  was  ill-clad  and  ill-fed,  like  himself.  One  day  she  ap 
proached  her  husband  and  said  :  — 

"  Husband,  your  friend  is  the  Lord  of  Lakshmi  (the  goddess  of 
wealth)  herself.  Go  to  him  and  he  will  give  you  wealth.  He  gives 
even  his  own  self  to  those  that  meditate  on  his  lotus  feet.  What  can 
not  that  Lord  of  the  Universe  give  to  those  that  worship  him  with 
some  desire  ?"  Being  repeatedly  pressed  by  his  wife,  he  at  last 
resolved  to  go  to  Krishna,  thinking  that  the  sight  of  his  friend  would 
be  his  greatest  gain.  He  asked  his  wife  for  some  offering  for  his  friend, 
She  begged  four  handfuls  of  flattened  rice  (Chipttaka)  from  the 
Brahmanas  and  tied  that  up  in  one  corner  of  her  husband's  rag. 
The  Brahmana  went  to  Dvaraka,  thinking  all  the  way  how  he  could 
meet  Krishna.  He  passed  through  certain  apartments  and  went 
into  one  of  the  rooms.  Krishna  was  seated  with  one  of  his  wives. 
He  saw  the  Brahmana  from  a  distance  and  rose  up  to  receive  him. 
He  came  down  and  embraced  his  former  companion  with  both  his 
hands.  Krishna  gave  him  a  respectful  welcome  and  a  seat  by  his 
own  side.  He  then  talked  with  him  about  the  old  reminiscences  of 
student  life,  how  they  passed  their  days  at  the  residence  of  Sandipani, 
how  faithfully  they  carried  out  the  behests  of  the  Guru  and  his  wife, 
how  necessary  it  was  to  respect  the  Guru  and  such  other  topics.  He 
then  smilingly  looked  at  the  Brahmana  and  said  :  — 


t     343     ] 

"What  have  you  brought  for  me  from  your  house?.  Even  the 
smallest  thing  brought  by  my  Bhaktas  becomes  great  by  their  love, 
while  the  largest  offerings  of  those  that  are  not  devoted  to  me  cannot 
please  me."  The  Brahmana,  though  asked,  was  ashamed  to  offer  the 
flattened  rice  to  the  Lord  of  Lakshmi  and  he  cast  down  his  head, 
The  all-seeing  Sri  Krishna  knew  the  object  of  the  Brahmana's  com 
ing.  He  found  that  the  Brahmana  had  not  at  first  worshipped  him 
with  the  object  of  attaining  wealth.  It  was  only  to  please  his  devo 
ted  wife  that  he  now  had  that  desire.  The  Lord  therefore  thought  he 
would  give  him  such  wealth  as  was  difficult  to  acquire.  He  then 
snatched  away  the  flattened  rice  from  the  rags  of  the  Brahmana 
saying,  "  What  is  this  !  O  friend  you  have  brought  this  highly  gratify 
ing  offering  for  me.  These  rice  grains  please  me,  the  Universal  Atma." 
So  saying  he  partook  of  one  handful.  When  he  was  going  to  take 
the  second  handful,  Lakshmi  held  his  hand,  saying,  "  O  Lord  of  the 
Universe,  this  much  will  quite  suffice  to  give  all  such  wealth  as  can 
be  needed  for  this  world  as  well  as  for  the  next,  such  that  it  will  even 
please  thee  to  see  that  thy  votary  has  got  so  much  wealth." 

The  Brahmana  passed  the  night  with  Krishna.  The  next 
morning,  he  went  home.  Krishna  went  a  certain  distance  with  him 
to  see  him  off.  Krishna  did  not  give  him  wealth  nor  did  he  ask  for 
any.  He  thought  within  himself  "  What  am  I,  a  poor  Brahmana  and 
a  sinner  and  this  Krishna,  whose  breast  is  the  abode  of  Lakshmi,  gave 
me  a  reception  as  if  I  were  a  god.  The  worship  of  His  feet  is  the  root 
of  all  Siddhis,  all  enjoyments,  of  Svarga  and  even  of  Mukti.  Kind  as 
he  is,  he  did  not  give  me  any  the  least  wealth,  lest  a  poor  man  should 
forget  Him  by  the  pride  of  wealth." 

When  he  reached  home,  he  found  palatial  buildings,  gardens 
and  lots  of  well-dressed  male  and  female  attendants.  They  received 
him  with  valuable  presents.  His  wife  also  came  out  to  receive  him, 
with  a  number  of  female  attendants.  The  Brahmana  was  surprised. 
He  saw  this  was  all  the  outcome  of  his  visiting  Sri  Krishna.  He 
controlled  himself  while  enjoying  this  immense  wealth  and,  medita 
ting  on  Sri  Krishna,  he  at  last  attained  His  supreme  abode. 

THE  MEETING  AT  KURUKSHETRA. 
SKANDHA'  X.  CHAP.  82-84 

There  was  a  total  eclipse  of  the  sun.  Krishna  and  all  the 
Yadavas  went  to  Kurukshetra  to  bathe  on  the  occasion.  Nanda, 


[     344    1 

the  Gopas  and  Gopis,  all  came  there.  Kunti  and  her  sons,  Bhishma, 
Drona  and  all  the  kings  also  went.  They  all  went  together. 
(The  Bhagavata  Purana  carefully  avoids  the  battle  at  Kurukshetra. 
It  barely  mentions  the  duel  between  Bhima  and  Duryodhana. 
According  to  the  Mahabharata,  Bhishma,  Drona  and  all  the  brothers  of 
Duryodhana  had  been  killed  before  the  fight  took  place  between 
Bhima  and  Duryodhana.  But  we  find  here  that  they  were  all  present 
at  the  Kurukshetra  meeting.  A  slight  explanation  will  be  necessary 
to  put  the  readers  on  the  right  line  of  thought.  The  ideal  of 
the  Mahabharata  was  Tatva-masi,  the  unity  of  Jiva  and  Isvara. 
Krishna  and  Arjuna  looked  alike.  They  were  close  companions. 
This  Advaita  view  struck  at  the  root  of  Upasana  excepting  as  a 
means  to  an  end  ;  it  put  into  the  shade  altogether  the  Path  of  com 
passion,  the  Path  of  service  of  which  Narada  is  the  guide  for  this 
Kalpa.  So  we  find  even  Bhishma  being  killed.  Bhishma  died 
at  Uttarayana  and  necessarily  passed  through  the  Devayana  Marga, 
as  an  Upasaka.  Whatever  might  be  the  goal  of  Upasana,  the 
Bhagavata  Purana  treats  of  Upasana  as  an  end  and  not  as  a  means. 
The  Bhagavatas,  the  Satvatas,  the  Vaishnavas  do  not  ask  for  Nirvana 
Mukt* — they  ask  for  devotion  to  the  Lord  of  the  Universe.  They 
work  in  the  Universe  as  servants  of  the  Lord,  taking  the  whole  Uni 
verse  to  be  their  own  selves.  The  Kurukshetra  battle  is  therefore  out 
of  place  in  the  Bhagavata  Purana.  This  explains  the  great  meeting  at 
Kurukshetra  instead  of  the  Great  Annihilation.) 

Kunti  complained  to  Vasudeva  that  he  did  not  make  any 
enquiries  about  her  and  her  sons,  in  her  many  afflictions.  Vasudeva 
said,  for  fear  of  Kansa  the  Yadavas  had  scattered  themselves,  and 
they  could  not  make  enquiries  about  one  another.  The  Kurus, 
Pandavas  and  the  kings  were  all  glad  to  see  Krishna  and  his  wives. 
Rama  and  Krishna  duly  honoured  them  all  and  made  valuable  pres 
ents.  They  all  admired  the  good  fortune  of  the  Yadavas,  in  having 
Krishna  always  in  their  midst. 

Nanda  and  Yasoda  were  duly  respected  by  Vasudeva  and  his 
wives. 

Krishna  met  the  Gopis  in  privacy.  He  embraced  them  all, 
and,  after  enquiry  about  their  safety,  said  smilingly  : — "Do  you  re 
member  us,  O  friends  ?  For  the  good  of  those  whom  we  call  our  own, 
we  have  been  long  in  putting  down  the  adverse  party.  Or  do  you 
think  little  of  us,  feeling  that  we  have  been  ungrateful  to  you  ?  Know 
for  certain,  it  is  the  Lord  who  unites  and  separates  all  beings.  As 
the  wind  unites  masses  of  clouds,  grass,  cotton  and  dust  particles,  and 


[    345     ] 

again  disunites  them,  so  the  creator  does  with  all  beings.  Devotion 
to  me  serves  to  make  beings  immortal.  How  glad  I  am  that  you 
have  this  love  to  me,  for  by  that  love  you  gain  me  back.  I  am  the 
beginning  and  end  of  all  beings,  I  am  both  inside  and  outside.  As 
the  material  objects  resolve  themselves  into  the  primal  elements, 
(Akasa,  air,  fire,  water  and  earth),  so  ^the  material  parts  in)  all  beings 
resolve  themselves  into  thej  primal  elements.  Atma  pervades  all 
beings  as  the  conscious  Perceiver  (Atma).  Know  both  (the  Perceiver 
and  the  Perceived)  to  be  reflected  in  me,  the  Supreme  and  the 
Immutable." 

The  Gopis  were  taught  this  Adhyatma  teaching  by  Sri  Krishna. 
Bearing  this  teaching  constantly  in  mind,  they  cast  off  the  Jiva  sheath 
(Jiva  Kosa)  and  they  attained  Krishna.  And  they  said  : — "  O 
Krishna  let  thy  lotus  feet  be  ever  present  in  our  minds,  home-seeking 
though  we  may  have  been.  The  lords  of  Yoga  by  their  profound 
wisdom  meditate  on  thy  feet  in  their  hearts.  It  is  by  thy  feet  that 
those  that  have  fallen  into  the  well  of  Sansara  are  raised." 

(Here  we  take  a  final  leave  of  the  Gopis.  They  had  known 
Krishna  as  the  Purusha  of  the  Heart.  They  now  knew  him  as  the 
all-pervading  Purusha.  They  were  drawn  back  into  the  bosom  of 
that  Purusha,  their  Linga  (Sukshma)  Sarira  destroyed.  They  now 
entered  the  divine  state,  but  even  there  they  did  not  forget  the  lotus 
feet  of  Krishna.  They  became  centres  of  devotional  love  in  the  bosom 
of  the  Universal  Lord.) 

Yudisthira  and  other  friends  of  Krishna  addressed  him  as  all- 
incarnating  Purusha.  The  wives  of  Krishna  related  to  Droupadi  how 
they  came  to  be  married  to  him.  The  Rfshis  addressed  Sri  Krishna 
as  Isvara.  They  then  took  leave  of  him.  Vasudeva  however  detained 
them,  saying  they  should  instruct  him  as  to  how  he  could  exhaust  his 
Karma.  Narada  said  it  was  no  wonder  that  he  should  ask  this  ques 
tion  of  them  and  not  of  Krishna.  For  proximity  is  the  cause  of 
disregard. 

The  Rishis,  addressing  Vasudeva,  said  : — 

"  Karma  is  exhausted  by  Karma.  Worship  Vishnu  by  Yajna.  He 
is  the  lord  of  all  Yajnas.  Wise  men  do  not  wish  for  riches  by  the 
performance  of  Yajna,  nor  do  they  wish  for  men  or  enjoyments.  They 
give  up  all  desires  and  then  go  to  the  forest  for  Tapas.  The  twice- 
born  are  indebted  to  the  Devas,  Rishis  and  Pitris,  by  their  birth.  You 
have  paid  up  your  debts  to  the  Rishis  and  to  the  Pitris.  Now  pay  up 
your  debts  to  the  Devas,  by  the  performance  of  Yajna  and  then  give  up 
44 


t    3*6    1 

your  home.  Vasudeva  then  performed  Yajna,  and  the  Rishis  officiat 
ed.  The  Yajna  over,  the  Rishis  went  away.  Dhritar^shtra,  Vidura, 
the  Pandavas,  Bhishma,  Drona,  Kunti,  Narada,  Vyasa,  his  friends 
and  relatives,  parted  with  a  heavy  heart.  Narada  and  his  followers 
were  detained  for  three  months  by  the  Yadavas,  such  was  their  love 
for  them.  They  then  received  many  presents  *  and  left  for  Mathura. 
Seeing  the  approach  of  the  rainy  season,  the  Y£davas  also  went  back 
to  Dvaraka. 

VASUDEVA,  DEVAKI,  AND  THEIR  DEAD  SONS. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  85. 

Vasudeva  now  believed  his  sons  to  be  lords  of  the  Universe. 
He  once  asked  them  whether  they  had  not  incarnated  for  relieving  the 
pressure  on  the  Earth.  Krishna  replied  : — "  I,  yourselves,  this  Rama, 
the  people  of  Dvaraka,  nay  the  whole  universe  are  to  be  known  as 
Brahma.  Atm&,  though  one  and  self-manifest,  becomes  manifold,  ac 
cording  to  the  nature  of  the  beings  in  which  its  manifestation  takes 
place.  Compare  the  variety  in  the  manifestation  of  the  Bhutas  in  the 
Bhoutic  objects." 

Hearing  these  words  of  wisdom,  Vasudeva  learned  to  see  unity 
in  diversity. 

Devaki  had  heard  of  the  powers  of  Rama  and  Krishna  in 
bringing  back  to  life  the  deceased  son  of  their  Guru.  She  asked  them 
to  shew  her  the  sons  that  had  been  killed  by  Kansa. 

Rama  and  Krishna  entered  by  Yogic  power  the  regions  of 
Sutala.  Bali  shewed  them  every  respect  and  worshipped  them. 

Krishna  said  :  "  In  the  Svayambhava  Manvantara,  Marichi  had 
six  sons  by  Urna.  These  sons  of  the  Rishi  laughed  at  Brahma^ 
because  he  grew  passionate  towards  his  daughter.  For  this  they  be 
came  Asuras  and  sons  of  Hiranyakasipu.  Yoga  M£ya  carried  them 
to  the  womb  of  Devaki  and  they  became  her  sons.  They  were 
killed  by  Kansa.  Devaki  takes  them  to  be  her  own  sons  and  laments 
over  their  death.  They  are  now  with  you  ;  I  shall  take  them  over  to 
my  mother  to  remove  her  grief.  They  shall  then  go  to  Devaloka, 
free  from  the  effects  of  their  curse.  ,  Smara,  Udgitha,  Parishvanga, 
Patanga,  Kshudra-bhuka  and  Ghrini — these  shall  by  my  favor  again 
attain  a  good  state."  (Smara  is  called  Kirtimat.) 


[     347     ] 

Krishna  took  the  boys  to  Devaki  and  she  embraced  them  all. 
They  were  then  taken  to  Devaloka. 

ARJUNA  AND  SUBHADRA 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  86. 

Raja  Parikshit  enquired  how  Arjuna  had  married  his  grand 
mother  Subhadra,  the  sister  of  Rama  and  Krishna. 

Suka  replied  : — 

"  Arjuna  heard  that  Rama  was  going  to  give  Subhadra  (the  cousin 
of  Arjuna)  in  marriage  to  Duryodhana.  He  disguised  himself  as  a 
Sanyasin  and  went  to  Dvaraka.  The  people  of  Dv^raka  and  even 
Rama  could  not  recognise  him.  Arjuna  lived  there  for  a  year  and 
received  due  hospitality.  Once  Arjuna  was  invited  by  Balarama  and 
he  was  taking  his  food  when  Subhadra  passed  by  him.  They  looked 
at  each  other  and  felt  mutual  love.  One  day,  Subhadra,  with  the 
permission  of  her  parents  and  of  Sri  Krishna,  came  out  on  a  chariot 
to  worship  an  idol  outside  the  fort  and  a  strong  guard  accompanied 
her.  Arjuna  availed  himself  of  this  opportunity  and  carried  away 
the  girl  by  force.  Balarama  became  greatly  enraged.  But  Sri 
Krishna  and  other  friends  appeased  him. 

SRUTADEVA  AND  BAHULASVA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  86. 

Srutadeva,  a  Brahmana  of  Mithila,  was  much  devoted  to 
Srikrishna.  The  prince  of  Mithila,  Bahulasva,  was  also  a  favorite  of 
Srikrishna.  To  favor  them,  Srikrishna  went  with  Narada  and  other 
Rishis  to  Mithila.  Srutadeva  and  Bahulasva  each  asked  him  to  go  to 
his  own  house.  Krishna  to  please  them  both  went  to  the  houses  of  both 
at  the  same  time,  being  unnoticed  by  each  in  respect  of  his  going  to 
the  other's  house.  Both  Bahulasva  and  Srutadeva  received  Sri  Krishna 
and  the  Rishis  with  due  respect.  Sri  Krishna  taught  Srutadeva  to 
respect  the  Brahmana  Rishis  as  much  as  he  respected  him.  After 
giving  proper  instructions  to  the  prince  and  the  Brahmana  for  some 
time,  Sri  Krishna  returned  to  Dvaraka. 


[     348     ] 

THE  PRAYER  TO  BRAHMAN  BY  THE  SRUTIS. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP,  87. 

Raja  Parikshit  asked  : — 

"  O  Great  Sage,  Brahman  is  undefinable,  void  of  Gunas,  beyond 
both  causes  and  effects.  How  can  the  Srutis,  which  have  the  Gunas 
for  their  Vritti  (2.  e.  which  treat  of  Devas  and  sacrifices  which  are  full 
of  attributes),  directly  cognise  Brahman  ?" 

Suka  replied  : — 

"The  Lord  created  Buddhi,  Indriya,  Manas  and  Prana  in  Jivas 
that  they  might  obtain  their  objects  (Matra),  their  birth-producing 
Karma  (Bhava),  their  transmigration  to  different  Lokas  (Atma),  and 
also  their  Mukti  (Akalpana)."  (These  four  words  respectively  mean 
Artha,  Dharma,  Kama  and  Moksha.  The  Srutis  treat  of  Bhagavat, 
of  Sat-Chit-Ananda  the  all-knowing,  the  all-powerful,  the  lord  of 
all,  the  guide  of  all,  the  all-object  of  Upasana,  the  Dispenser  of  all 
fruits  of  Karma,  the  Resort  of  all  that  is  good,  as  one  with  attributes. 
The  Srutis  begin  with  attributes,  but  at  last  drop  these  attributes 
saying  "Not  this"  "Not  this"  and  end  in  Brahman.  The  sayings 
about  Upasana  and  Karma  treat  of  things  with  attributes,  as  a  means 
to  attain  wisdom  and  thereby  indirectly  lead  to  Brahman.  This  is 
the  purport.  Sridhara.) 

"  The  Upanishad  speaks  of  Brahman.  She  was  accepted  as 
such  by  even  those  that  were  older  than  those  whom  we  call  old.  He 
who  accepts  her  with  faith  attains  well-being."  (The  Bhagavata 
tries  to  refute  the  idea  that  the  Vedas  treat  of  the  Devas  only  and 
not  of  I'svara  and  Brahma). 

"  I  shall  relate  to  thee  here  a  conversation  between  Narada  and 
Narayana. 

Once  upon  a  time  Narada  went  to  see  the  great  Rishi  Nara 
yana.  For  the  well-being  of  Bharatavarsha,  for  the  good  of  all  men, 
he  remains  in  his  Asrama,  fixed  in  Tapas,  since  the  beginning  of  this 
Kalpa.  The  Rishis  of  Kalapa  sat  round  him.  Narada  saluted  him 
and  asked  this  very  question. 

Narayana  said  : — 

"  In  Jana  Loka,  the  Manas,  born  Rishis  of  that  place  performed 
Brahma  Yajna  (Yajna,  in  which  "What  is  Brahman"  is  ascertained, 
some  one  becoming  the  speaker  and  others  forming  the  audience). 
You  had  gone  to  Sveta  Dvipa  at  the  time.  This  very  question  was 
raised  in  the  assembly.  Sanandan  became  the  speaker,  He  said  :— 


[     349     ] 

"  The  Supreme  drank  up  his  own  creation  and  lay  asleep  with 
His  Saktis.  At  the  end  of  Pralaya,  the  Srutis  (which  were  the  first 
breath  of  the  Supreme,  Stidhata)  roused  Him  up  by  words  denotive 
of  Him. 

The  Srutis  said  : — 

"  Glory  be  to  Thee  !  Destroy  the  Avidya  of  all  moveable  and 
immoveable  beings.  She  has  got  attributes  for  the  sake  of  deluding 
others.  All  Thy  powers  are  competely  confined  in  Thee.  Thou  art 
the  Manifester  of  all  Saktis  in  Jivas.  Thou  art  (sometimes — Sridhara) 
with  Maya  and  (always — Sridhara]  by  Thyself.  (But  wherever  thou 
art)  the  Vedas  follow  Thee.  (The  Vedas  treat  both  of  Saguna  and 
Nirguna  Brahman). 

All  that  are  perceived,  (Indra  and  other  gods),  know  Thee  to  be 
the  Big,  and  themselves  to  be  only  parts.  For  their  rise  and  setting 
are  from  Thee.  (Then  is  the  Big  transformable?  Hence  the  next 
words.  Sridhara).  But  thou  art  untransformed.  Even  as  the  (trans 
formed)  earth  pots  have  their  rise  and  setting  in  the  (untransformed) 
mother  earth.  Therefore  the  Rishis — (the  Mantras  or  their  perceivers 
Sridhara.  Every  Vedic  Mantra  has  its  Rishi,  who  first  perceived  that 
Mantra)— -set  their  minds,  their  words  and  actions  in  Thee  (or  had 
their  purport  and  meaning  in  Thee.  Sridhata).  For  wherever  people 
may  roam,  their  footsteps  always  touch  the  earth. 

O  Thou  Lord  of  the  Three  Gunas,  the  wise  plunged  into  the 
nectar  ocean  formed  of  words  about  Thee, — an  Ocean  which  removes 
the  impurities  of  all  people — and  they  got  rid  of  all  miseries. 
What  of  those  then  who,  by  the  perception  of  Self  in  them,  free 
themselves  from  the  attributes  of  mind  (likes  or  dislikes)  and  of  time 
(the  transformations  of  age)  and  worship  Thy  real  self  which  gives 
rise  to  perpetual  happiness  ? 

Those  that  are  animated  by  life  breathe  truly  if  they  follow 
Thee,  otherwise  their  breath  is  the  breath  of  bellows.  Inspired  by 
Thee,  Mahat,  Ahankara  and  others  lay  their  eggs  (create  collective 
and  individual  bodies).  Thou  dost  permeate  the  five  sheaths  (Anna- 
maya  and  others)  in  man  and  become  those  sheaths,  as  it  were,  by 
this  permeation.  But  thou  art  the  last  in  the  sheaths,  as  taught  in 
the  Upanishads. 

Thou  art  beyond  the  gross  and  subtle  sheaths,  the  Indestruct 
ible  and  Real. 

Among   the   Rishis,   the  S^rkarakshas  (or  those  that  have  an 
imperfect  vision)  meditate  on  Brahma  in  the  navel.    The  Arunis,  how- 


[    350    ] 

ever,  meditate  on  Brahma  in  the  cavity  of  the  Heart,  which  is  the 
seat  of  the  nerves.  Ananta,  from  the  Heart,  the  Sushumn^  (the  nerve 
which  causes  Thy  perception)  leads  to  Thy  supreme  place  in  the 
Head.  He  who  once  attains  that  place  does  not  fall  into  the  mouth 
of  Death  again.  (The  Upanishads  speak  of  one  hundred  and  one 
nerves  of  the  heart  Of  these,  one  goes  to  the  head). 

Thou  hast  Thyself  created  various  life  kingdoms  and  various 
forms.  Though  Thou  pervadest  them  all  from  of  old,  having  brought 
them  all  about,  yet  Thy  special  manifestation  in  them  is  relatively 
greater  or  smaller,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  things  created  by 
Thee  even  as  fire,  though  one  and  the  same,  burns  differently  accord 
ing  to  the  character  of  the  fuel.  Those  that  are  of  pure  intellect 
follow  the  one  Real  amidst  the  many  unreal  forms.  The  (perceiving) 
Purusha  in  all  beings  is  said  to  be  Thy  part  only.  Knowing  this  to 
be  the  truth  about  Jivas,  wise  men  worship  Thy  feet. 

****** 

****** 

****** 

Brahma  and  other  Jivas  did   not  know  Thy  end.      Even   Thou 

dost   not   know  Thy  own   end.     For  Thou  art  endless.     Drawn  by 

the  wheel  of  time,  the  Brahmandas,  with  their  Avaranas,  (outer  circles) 

roll  on  together  in  Thy  middle,  even  as  if  they  were  dust   particles  in 

the  air.      The  Srutis  fructify  in   Thee  (have  Thee,  for  their  end  and 

goal.)     (Though  they  cannot  directly  speak  of  Thee)  their  words  are 

directed  towards  Thee,  by  discarding  every  thing  else."     (Though  the 

Vedas  treat  of  Indra  and  other  Devas,  they  ultimately  lead  to  Brahma, 

by  saying  "  Brahma  is  not  this,  not  this,"  in  the  Upanishads.) 

THE  RESTORATION  OF  BRAHMAN  BOYS  TO  LIFE. 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  89. 

At  Dvaraka  a  Brahman  lost  his  son  at  birth.  He  took  the 
dead  child  to  the  palace  and  placed  it  at  the  gate,  blaming  the  king 
for  his  misfortune.  For  the  sins  of  kings  visit  themselves  upon  their 
subjects.  In  this  way  nine  sons  died  one  after  another  and  the 
Brahman  did  the  same  with  all  of  them  and,  when  the  ninth  son 
died,  Arjuna  was  sitting  with  Krishna  and  he  heard  the  reproaches  of 
the  Brahmana.  Arjuna  promised  the  Brahmana  that  he  would  pro 
tect  his  son  this  time,  or  would  otherwise  enter  the  fire  for  breach  of 
his  promise.  The  son  was  born  again.  And  Arjuna  was  there  with 
his  famous  bow.  But  lo  !  the  child  wept  and  it  rose  up  high  and  dis 
appeared,  The  Brahmana  taunted  Arjuna  for  making  promises  he 


had  not  the  power  to  keep.  Stung  by  these  words,  the  Pandava 
went  to  Yama  Loka.  He  went  to  Indra  Loka.  He  went  to  the 
regions  of  Agni,  Nirriti,  Chandra,  Vayu  and  Varuna.  He  went  to 
Rasatala.  He  went  to  Svarga.  But  the  Brahmana  boy  was  no 
where  to  be  found.  He  then  made  preparations  for  entering  the  fire. 
Sri  Krishna  made  himr  desist.  He  said  :  —  "  I  shall  show  you  the 
Brahmana's  sons.  Do  not  disregard  yourself.  Those  that  blame  us 
now  shall  sing  our  glory  hereafter." 

Krishna  and  Arjuna  went  towards  the  west.  They  crossed  the 
seven  oceans  and  the  seven  Dvipas.  They  crossed  the  Loka-aloka 
and  entered  the  regions  of  chaotic  darkness.  The  horses  could  not 
proceed  further.  So  by  Krishna's  order  the  glowing  Chakra,  Sudar- 
shana,  pierced  through  the  darkness  and  the  horses  followed  the  track. 
Infinite,  endless,  divine  light  then  spread  out.  Arjuna  re-opened  his 
eyes.  They  then  entered  the  regions  of  primal  water.  They  found  one 
house  glittering  with  gems  and  stones.  The  thousand-headed  Ananta 
was  sitting  in  that  house.  Seated  upon  Ananta  was  the  Supreme 
Purusha,  the  Lord  of  the  Lords.  Krishna  and  Arjuna  saluted  Him. 
The  Purusha  then  smiled  and  said  :  —  "  I  brought  the  Brahmana  boys 
that  I  might  see  you  both.  For  the  protection  of  Dharma  on  the 
Earth,  you  have  incarnated  as  my  parts  (Kala.)  Kill  the  Asuras 
that  oppress  the  Earth  and  come  back  soon  to  me.  Filled  are  your 
own  desires,  O  you  Rishis,  Nara  and  Narayana.  But  for  the  preserva 
tion  of  the  Universe,  do  that  which  others  may  follow." 

Krishna  and  Arjuna  said  "  Om  ".  They  brought  back  the 
Brahmana  boys  and  restored  them  to  their  father. 


THE  LINE  OF  KRISHNA. 
SKANDHA  X.  CHAP.  90. 

Vajra  was  the  son  of  Aniruddha. 
Prati-bahu  was  the  son  of  Vajra. 
Su-bahu  was  the  son  of  Prati-bahu. 
Upasena  was  the  son  of  Su-bahu. 
Bhadra-sena  was  the  son  of  Upasena. 

END  OF  THE  TENTH  BRANCH. 


[    352    ] 
THOUGHTS  ON  THE  MATHURA  LILA. 

Kansa  was  killed  and  all  good  men  that  had  fled  from  Mathura 
returned  to  it.  Krishna  fast  developed  Himself  as  Isvara.  He  re 
stored  his  Guru's  son  to  life. 

Uddhava,  the  embodiment  of  Bhakti  Yoga  mixed  with  wisdom, 
was  the  messenger  of  Krishna  to  the  Gopis.  It  was  through  him  that 
Sri  Krishna  sent  words  of  wisdom,  which  He  himself  could  not 
have  spoken  to  them  at  Vrindavana.  For  the  Gopis  would  have 
spurned  such  words  from  Him,  so  great  was  their  personal  love  for 
Him.  Krishna  now  placed  another  ideal  before  them  for  meditation. 
They  were  now  to  seek  Him,  not  as  the  lovely  Krishna,  playing  upon 
the  flute,  but  as  the  all-pervading  Atma  to  be  known  by  discriminat 
ing  wisdom.  He  asked  the  Gopis  to  meditate  on  this  ideal,  and  He 
now  returned  to  them  as  the  all-pervading  immutable  principle  in  the 
Universe. 

In  the  stories  of  Jarasandha,  Yavana  and  Muchukunda  we 
find  the  historical  Krishna. 

Jarasandha  was  an  incongruous  combination  of  materiality  and 
spirituality,  (the  two  parts  which  Jiva  put  together).  He  was  the  per 
former  of  Vedic  Yajnas,  the  supporter  of  Brahmanas,  the  represen 
tative  of  the  old  state  of  things.  Naturally  therefore  he  was  the  most 
powerful  king  of  his  time  and  the  most  powerful  enemy  of  Krishna. 
Vaishnavism  had  to  fight  hard  with  orthodox  Brahmanism  Vaish- 
nava  kings  were  put  to  death  in  large  numbers.  Krishna  could  not 
kill  him  on  account  of  his  connection  with  Brahmanas  and  with  Vedic 
Yajnas.  He  even  feigned  a  retreat  and  fled  away  to  Dvaraka.  Dvaraka 
was  a  spiritual  centre  on  earth,  created  by  Krishna,  for  the  performance 
of  His  mission  as  Avatara.  The  town  was  washed  away  as  soon 
as  Krishna  disappeared. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  know  the  future  mission  of  Muchukun 
da.  But  the  Bhagavata  is  silent  about  it. 


THOUGHTS  ON  THE  DVARAKA  LfLA. 

At  Dvaraka,  we  find  Sri  Krishna  as  the  Lord  of  the  Universe, 
a  Kalpic  Avatara,  and  as  such  something  more  than  the  historical 
Krishna. 

Sri  Ktishna  as  an  Avatdra. 

It  is  time  that  we  should  know  something  definitely  of  Sri 
Krishna  as  an  Avatara. 


[    353    ] 

To  restore  the  Brahmana  boys,  Sri  Krishna  went  with  Arjuna 
to  the  abode  of  Purusha.  Purusha  smiled  and  said  : — "  I  brought  the 
Brahmana  boys,  that  I  might  see  you  both.  For  the  protection  of 
Dharma  on  the  Earth,  you  have  incarnated  as  my  parts  (Kala).  Kill 
the  Asuras  that  oppress  the  Earth  and  come  back  soon  to  Me.  Satia 
ted  are  your  own  desires,  O  you  Rishis,  Nara  and  Narayana,  but  for 
the  preservation  of  the  universe  do  that  which  others  may  follow," 

The  Purusha  is  the  Virat  Purusha  of  our  universe,  the  Second 
Purusha  or  the  Second  Logos. 

When  the  first  Purusha  woke  up,  the  process  of  transformation 
went  on  and  the  material  creation  was  completed.  The  materials 
could  not  however  unite  to  form  individual  bodies.  Purusha  infused 
the  material  creation  and  became  known  as  the  Second  Purusha  or 
Virat  Purusha,  As  regards  this  Virat  Purusha,  the  BhSgavata  Purana 
says  as  follows  : — 

"  He  is  the  resting  place  and  eternal  seed  of  all  Avataras. 
Brahma  is  His  part,  Marichi  and  other  Rishis  are  parts  of  His  part 
Devas,  animals  and  men  are  brought  into  manifestation  by  parts  of 
His  part"  Bh^gavata  I.  3-5. 

"  He  is  the  primal,  unborn  Purusha,  who  in  every  Kalpa  creates, 
preserves  and  destroys  self  (objective)  as  self  (nominative),  in  self 
(locative),  by  self  (instrumental)."  II.  6  XXXVII. 

"  He  is  the  primal  Purusha  Avatara  of  the  Supreme"  II.  6  XL. 

He  is  also  called  the  Thousand-Limbed  and  the  Egg-born. 
II.  5,  XXXV.,  III.  6,  VI. 

This  Virat  Purusha  upholds  the  manifested  universe.  All 
materials  are  in  Him  and  all  individuals  take  their  rise  from  Him  and 
end  in  Him.  He  is  the  one  ocean  of  endless  bubbles  which  have 
their  beginning  and  end  in  Him,  The  AvaUiras  also  all  rest  on  the 
bosom  of  Virat  Purusha. 

We  have  looked  at  Virat  Purusha  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
First  Purusha.  Now  let  us  proceed  upwards  from  below. 

The  Brihat  Aranayaka  Upanishad  thus  speaks  of  Virat  Puru 
sha,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Fourth  Brahmana  of  the  first  chapter  : — 

"  This  was  before  soul,  bearing  the  shape  of  a  man.  Looking 
round  he  beheld  nothing  but  himself.  He  said  first : — "  This  am  I." 
Hence  the  name  of  I  was  produced.  And,  because  he  as  the  first  of 
all  of  them  consumed  by  fire  all  the  sins,  therefore  he  is  called  Puru 
sha.  He  verily  consumes  him  who,  before  this,  strives  to  obtain  the 
state  of  Prajapati,  he,  namely  who,  thus  knows." 
45 


[    354    ] 
The  following  is  the  commentary  of  Sankaracharya. 

"  This  was  before  the  soul."  The  soul  is  here  defined  as  Praja- 
pati,  the  first  born  from  the  Egg,  the  embodied  soul,  as  resulting 
from  his  knowledge  and  works  in  accordance  with  the  Vedas.  He 
was  what?  ^  This,"  produced  by  the  division  of  the  body,  "was 
the  soul"  not  separated  from  the  body  of  Prajapati,  "before"  the 
production  of  other  bodies.  Pie  was  "also  bearing  the  shape  of  man", 
which  means  that  he  was  endowed  with  head,  hands  and  other  mem 
bers,  he  was  the  Viraj,  the  first  born.  "  Looking  round  reflecting 
who  am  I,  and  of  what  nature,  he  beheld  nothing  but  himself",  the 
fulness  of  life,  the  organism  of  causes  and  effects.  He  beheld  only 
himself  as  the  Universal  soul.  Then,  endowed  with  the  recollection 
of  his  Vedic  knowledge  in  a  former  birth,  "  he  said  first :  This  am  I " 
viz.t  Prajapati,  the  universal  soul.  "  Hence,"  because  from  the  recol 
lection  of  his  knowledge  in  a  former  world  he  called  himself  I,  there 
fore  his  name  was  I "And 

because  he  " — Prajapati  in  a  former  birth,  which  is  the  cause,  as  the 
first  of  those  who  were  desirous  of  obtaining  the  state  of  Prajapati 
by  the  exercise  of  reflection  on  works  and  knowledge  viz.  "  as  the 
first  of  all  of  them,"  of  all  that  were  desirous  of  obtaining  the  state  of 
Prajapati,  consumed  by  the  perfect  exercise  of  reflection  on  works 
and  knowledge  of  all  the  sins  of  contact  which  are  obstacles  to  the 
acquirement  of  the  state  of  Prajapati, — because  such  was  the  case, — 
therefore  he  is  called  Purusha,  because  he  is  Purvam  Aushad^  (first 
burnt).  As  that  Prajapati,  by  consuming  all  opposite  sins,  became 
this  Purusha  Prajapati,  so  also  any  other  consumes,  reduces  all  to  ashes 
by  the  fire  of  the  practice  of  reflection  on  knowledge  and  works, 
or  only  by  the  force  of  his  knowledge,  and  He  verily  "consumes" 
Whom.?  "Him  who  before  this  sage  strives  to  obtain  the  state  of 
Prajapati."  The  sage  is  pointed  out  as  he  who  thus  knows,  who  ac 
cording  to  his  power  manifests  his  reflection  on  knowledge.  "  But  is 
it  not  useless  for  any  one  to  strive  for  the  state  of  Prajapati,  if  he  is 
consumed  by  one  who  thus  knows?  There  is  no  fault  in  this;  for 
consuming  means  here  only  that  the  highest  state,  that  of  Prajapati, 
is  not  obtained,  because  the  eminence  of  reflection  on  knowledge  is 
wanting.  Therefore  by  the  words,  "  He  consumes  him  "  is  meant,  that 
the  perfect  performer  obtains  the  highest  state  of  Prajapati ;  he  who 
is  less  perfect  does  not  obtain  it,  and  by  no  means  that  the  less  per 
fect  performer  is  actually  consumed  by  the  perfect ;  thus  it  is  said  in 
common  life,  that  a  warrior  who  first  rushes  into  battle,  consumes  his 
combatants,  which  means  that  he  exceeds  them  in  prowess." 


[    355    1 

In  order  to  understand  this  better,  let  jis  consider  the  scheme 
of  human  evolution. 

Atma  is  the  same  in  all  beings  and,  when  free  from  the  limita 
tions  of  individual  life,  it  becomes  all  pervading. 

Sympathy  and^compassion  open  the  door  to  the  Jiberation  of 
Atma. 

The  Upadhi,  or  vehicle  of  Atma,  or  the  body  of  its  manifesta 
tion,  becomes  less  and  less  gross,  as  Atma  proceeds  in  its  course  of 
liberation,  the  body  becomes  better  able  to  do  good  to  all  mankind 
and  it  does  not  act  as  a  barrier  to  communion  with  the  real  self. 

The  most  highly  evolved  beings  become  universal  and  not  in 
dividual,  and  they  live  normally  on  the  spiritual  plane. 

They  at  last  reach  the  state  of  divinity.  Then  they  may  be 
come  Avataras.  When  these  Avataras  have  to  work  on  the  physical 
and  intellectual  planes,  they  assume  a  body  and  become  born,  like 
ordinary  beings.  They  have  then  to  come  down  from  their  normal 
state,  but  their  vision  and  power  retrain  undestroyed.  When  their 
mission  is  over,  they  reach  again  their  normal  state.  The  Avataras 
have  not  to  work  out  their  own  Karma.  They  are  liberated  Atmas, 
staying  back  for  the  liberation  of  other  individuals  in  the  universe. 
Karma-less  themselves,  they  bear  the  Karma  of  the  universe  upon 
their  shoulders.  The  thin  veil  that  separates  their  state  from  the 
state  of  the  absolute  Brahma  is  Maya,  which  is  the  highest  manifesta 
tion  of  Prakriti  which  enables  them  to  assume  cosmic  responsibility 
out  of  their  unbounded  compassion  for  all  beings. 

The  Avataras  may  cast  off  their  veil  at  will,  but  as  long  as 
they  choose  to  keep  that  veil,  the  whole  universe  is  at  their  command 
and  they  guide  the  whole  course  of  universal  evolution. 

Now  of  all  Avataras  one  takes  upon  himself  to  hold  all  indivi 
duals  in  His  bosom,  to  sustain  them  all  and  to  make  Him  the  field 
of  their  Involution  and  Evolution,  in  the  Kalpa. 

He  is  called  Virat  Purusha.  He  is  practically  the  Isvara  of 
our  universe. 

The  body  of  this  Purusha,  called  the  First  Avatara,  the  Second 
or  Virat  Purusha,  and  the  Egg-born,  is  formed  by  the  Tatvas,  num 
bered  twenty-four  in  the  Sankhya  philosophy.  These  Tatvas  collect 
together  to  form  an  Egg  and  the  Second  Purusha  breaks  forth  from  that 
Egg  and  becomes  the  Thousand -headed  Purusha  of  the  Upanishads. 
For  the  sake  of  meditation,  He  is  imagined  to  be  seated  on  the  Ser 
pent  Ananta.  The  lotus  stalk  grew  out  of  his  navel. 


[    356    ] 

The  Tatvas  thenjselves  are  brought  into  manifestation  by  the 
awaking  of  the  First  Purusha. 

The  Second  Purusha  enters  into  all  beings  as  their  Atma,  be 
coming  three-fold  in  his  aspect  viz.  Adhi-Atma,  Adhi-bhuta  and 
Adhi-deva.  Then  He  is  called  the  Third  Purusha.  Says  the  S£tvata 
Tantra,  as  quoted  by  Sri-dhara : — 

"  There  are  three  forms  of  Vishnu  known  as  Purusha — the  first 
is  the  creator  of  Mahat,  the  Second  is  the  permeator  of  the  cosmic 
Egg,  and  the  third  is  the  permeator  of  all  beings."  Virat  Purusha  is 
the  seat  af  all  Avat^ras.  Therefore  all  Avataras  are  called  parts  of 
the  Virat  Purusha. 

Speaking  of  other  Lila  Avataras,  BhSgavata  calls  them  parts 
and  aspects  of  the  Second  Purusha;  "but  Krishna  is  Bhagavat  Him 
self," 

Bhagavat  is  here  the  First  Purusha.  I.  3  XXVIII. 

In  the  Tenth  Skandha,  Raja  Parikshit  says:  "Tell  us  the 
mighty  deeds  of  Vishnu,  incarnated  as  a  pan  in  the  line  of  Yadu." 
X.  I  II.  Later  on  again  : — 

"  The  supreme  Purusha,  Bhagavat  Himself,  shall  be  born  in  the 
house  of  Vasudeva."  X.  i  xxiil. 

The  Devas  said,  addressing  Devaki : — "  Rejoice  mother,  the 
Supreme  Purusha,  Bhagavat  Himself,  is  in  thy  womb  by  His  part" 
X.  2  XII. 

The  Purusha,  seated  on  Ananta,  addressed  Arjuna  and  Krishna 
as  Nara  and  Narayana. 

The  Mahabharata  also  calls  them  Incarnations  of  Nara  and 
Narayana.  These  Rishis  are  invoked  all  throughout  the  Maha 
bharata.  They  were  the  sons  of  Dharma  by  Murti,  daughter  of 
Daksha. 

Nara  and  Narayana  are  looked  upon  as  two  in  one  and  they 
were  adored  by  the  Devas,  as  manifestations  of  Purusha  Himself. 
(IV.  I  XLVIj. 

They  went  after  their  birth  to  Gandha  Madana.  (IV.  I  XLVIII.) 
It  is  these  Rishis,  parts  of  Bhagavat  Hari,  who   have  now  ap 
peared    for   the   removal   of  her   load    from   the    Goddess  Earth,  as 
Krishnas,  in  the  lines  of  Yadu  and  Kuru."     (IV.  I  XLIX.) 

Krishna  in  the  line  of  Kuru  is  Afjuna. 

In  explaining  this  Sloka,  Sridhara  quotes  the  following  from 
a  Vaishnava  Tantra  : — 


[    357    ] 

"In  Arjuna,  there  is  only  the  Avesa  (suff using)  of  Nara.  Krishna 
is  Narayana  Himself 

Sri  Krishna  said  to  Arjuna  : — "  I  have  passed  through  many 
births  as  well  as  thou.  I  know  them  all.  Not  so  thou." 

This  shows  that,  Arjuna  was  not  Nara  himself,  the  .supplement 
of  Narayana,  for  in  that  case  he  would  have  remembered  his  previous 
births.  But,  as  the  Tantra  says,  "  Arjuna  was  possessed  by  the  Nara 
aspect  of  the  dual  Rishi." 

Sri  Krishna  said  to  Devaki : — 

"  At  my  first  birth,  in  the  Svayam-bhuva  Manvantara,  thou  wert 

born  as  Prisni  and  this  Vasudeva  was  named  Prajapati  Sutapas 

I  was  born  as  your  son,  Prisni-garbha.  I  was  also  born  of  you,  when 
you  were  Aditi  and  Vasudeva  was  Kasyapa,  as  Upendra,  also  called 
the  Vamana  or  Dwarf  Avatara.  At  this  third  birth,  I  am  your  son 
again,  with  the  same  body."  X.  3  xxxil.  to  XLIII. 

These  are  the  three  Incarnations  of  Nara  Narayana,  mentioned 
in  the  Bhagavata.  They  are  certainly  not  the  many  births  to  which 
Sri  Krishna  alludes  in  the  Gita.  Those  many  births  took  place  in 
previous  Kalpas  of  which  we  know  nothing.  In  this  Kalpa,  however, 
he  appeared  at  the  turning  points  in  the  Evolution  of  our  universe. 
He  appeared  in  the  First  Manvantara,  the  Manvantara  of  manifesta 
tion,  as  Prisni-garbha.  We  do  not  know  the  good  done  by  Him  in 
His  first  birth. 

As  Vamana,  however,  he  restored  the  Triloki  to  the  Devas  and 
asserted  the  supremacy  of  the  spiritual  forces. 

The  Earth  was  again  overpowered  by  the  Asuras.  The  Kalpa 
was  about  to  be  half  over.  The  last  struggle  was  to  be  made.  Satva 
had  to  be  infused  into  all  beings,  even  into  the  materials  composing 
them.  Every  thing  in  the  universe  was  to  be  wedded  to  the  Lord  of 
Preservation.  An  upward  trend  was  to  be  given  to  the  whole  course 
of  evolution.  Materialism  could  not  be  stamped  out  all  at  once.  But 
henceforth  there  was  to  be  a  steady  fall  of  Materiality  and  rise  of 
Spirituality,  subject  to  such  variations  as  minor  Cycles  might  cause. 

Sri  Krishna  is  therefore  the  greatest  Avatara  of  our  Kalpa. 
"  For  the  good  of  those  that  seek  Atma,  Nara  Narayana  shall  per 
form  Tapas  in  Bharata  Varsha,  unknown  to  others,  till  the  end  of  the 
Kalpa."  V.  19-9. 

Sri  Krishna  as  Bhagavat  is  greater  than  the  Second  Purusha. 
To  the  devotees,  he  is  greater  than  the  Purusha  manifestation. 


[     358    ] 

He  now  appeared  as  the  preserver  of  the  Universe,  the  em 
bodiment  of  Satva,  the  force  of  ascent.  And  the  Tatvas  had  to  be 
wedded  to  him,  so  that  they  might  acquire  the  energy  of  higher  evo 
lution  in  them. 

Unless  there  was  change  in  the  innate  downward  tendency  of 
the  Tatvas,  the  spiritual  ascent  of  the  universe  was  not  possible. 

The  Lord  brought  about  this  change  by  permeating  the  whole 
universe  with  His  Satva  body,  or  becoming  something  like  the  spiritual 
soul  in  every  being.  Therefore  Lord  Krishna  is  in  the  hearts  of  all 
beings  and  can  be  perceived  by  all  in  meditation.  He  is  everywhere, 
in  every  atom.  Whether  Sri  Krishna  is  Bhagavat  Himself  or  some 
manifestation  of  Bhagavat  makes  no  difference  whatever.  By  His 
works,  He  is  Bhagavat.  His  worshippers  are  bound  for  the  abode  of 
Bhagavat.  They  have  not  to  wait  in  Brahma  or  Satya  Loka,  till  the 
end  of  Brahma's  life.  Those  who  worship.  Hiranya  garbha  or  Brahma 
cannot  pass  beyond  the  limits  of  Brahma  Loka. 

In  answer  to  Raja  Parikshit,  Suka  Deva  delineated  the  Paths 
to  be  followed  after  death. 

I.  The  Prompt  Path  of  Liberation    (Sadyo   Mukti).     Those 
who  meditate  on  the  abstract  Absolute,  called  Brahma,  attain  prompt 
liberation.     The  All-pervading  principle  is  abstracted  from  the  pheno 
menal    universe,   there  is    no    thought   of  man,  no  thought  of  fellow 
beings,  no  thought  of  the  universe,  there  is  the  pure  abstraction  by  the 
process  of  "  Not  this."     "  Not  this  "  liberates  one  from  all  phenomenal 
connections.    This  is  Sadyo  Mukti.     (II.  2  XV.  to  XXI.) 

II.  The  Deferred  Path  of  Liberation  (Krama  Mukti),  when  one 
wishes  to  go  to  Brahma  Loka  or  to  the  abode  of  the  Siddhas.     Where 
the  eight  siddhis  are  acquired,  he  retains  the  Manas  and  the    Indriyas 
and  goes  all  over  the  universe  of  Seven  Lokas.     II.  2  XXII. 

With  their  Linga  Sarira,  these  Lords  of  Yoga  go  inside  and 
outside  Triloki.  II.  2  XXIII. 

On  their  way  to  Brahma  Loka,  they  are  carried  by  SushumnS. 
first  to  Agni  Loka.  Then  they  go  to  the  farthest  limit  of  Triloki,  the 
Sisumara  Chakra,  extending  over  to  Dhruva  or  the  Polar  star. 
II.  2  XXIV. 

When  at  the  end  of  a  Kalpa,  the  Triloki  becomes  consumed 
by  fire  from  the  mouth  of  Sankarshana,  they  go  to  Brahma  Loka, 
which  lasts  for  two  Pararddhas,  and  which  is  adorned  by  the  chariots 
of  great  Siddhas.  II.  2  XXVI. 


[     359    ] 

There  is  no  sorrow,  no  infirmity  no  death,  no  pain,  no  anxiety 
in  Brahma  Loka.  But  those  who  go  there  are,  out  of  their  compas 
sion,  afflicted  by  the  endless  miseries  of  those  that  do  not  know  the 
path.  II  2  XXVII. 

Then  they  pass  through  the  seven  Avaranas  or  covers  of  the 
Universe  and,  having  the  Vehicle  of  Mula  Prakriti  only,' become  full 
of  Bliss  and,  when  that  Upadhi  is  destroyed,  they  obtain  absolute  bliss 
and  do  not  return  again.  This  is  the  attainment  of  the  state.  II.  2. 
XXVIII  to  XXXI. 

"  Those  who  go  to  Brahma  Loka  pass  through  three  different 
paths. 

(1)  Those,   who   come   with   great  merits  acquired  in  life,  get 
posts  of*duty  according  to  their  merits  in  the  next    Kalpa   (*.  e.  they 
become  Prajapatis,  Lokapalas.  Indras  and  so  on.) 

(2)  Those  who  go  to  Brahma  Loka  merely  by  force  of  their 
Upasana  of  Hiranya-Garbha  become    liberated,   when    BrahmA    be 
comes  liberated  at  the  end  of  his  life  (extending  over  two  Pararddhas.) 

(3)  Those  that  worship  Bhagavat  pierce  the  Brahmanda  at 
will,  and  rise  to  the  abode  of  Vishnu.  The  Slokas  XXVIII  to  XXXI 
refer  to  the  piercing  of  Brahmanda  by  the  Bhagavatas."  Sridhara. 

The  worshippers  of  Sri  Krishna  attain  the  last  state.  The  de 
ferred  path  of  Liberation  is  the  path  of  all  Bhaktas.  It  is  the  path  of 
compassion,  of  service.  The  Bhaktas  spurn  all  sorts  of  Mukti,  even  if 
they  be  offered  to  them.  They  become  servants  of  the  Lord  in  the 
preservation  of  the  Universe. 

In  the  Dvaraka  Lila,  we  shall  find  Sri  Krishna,  as  the  greatest 
Avatara  of  the  Kalpa,  carrying  out  His  work  of  Preservation. 

The  Purana  does  not  speak  of  the  Nara  aspect  of  Sri  Krishna 
as  manifested  in  Arjuna.  That  is  the  subject  matter  of  the  Maha- 
bharata.  The  study  of  the  one  is  complementary  to  the  study  of  the 
other,  as  the  study  of  the  Bhagavat  is  complementary  to  the  study 
of  the  Gita.  In  one,  we  see  the  Evolution  of  Man,  in  the  other  we 
see  the  work  of  Bhagavat.  We  see  in  both  together  the  whole  of 
our  Lord  Sri  Krishna. 

THE  WIVES. 

As  Lord  of  the  Universe,  Sri  Krishna  became  wedded  to  the 
eightfold  energies  of  Prakriti;  iHis  eight  principal  wives,  so  that  he 
might  influence,  through  them,  individuals  formed  by  these  divisions  of 
Prakritis.  These  energies  are  : — 


1.  Rukmint  or  Mula  Prakrit!,  Buddhi. 

2.  Jdmba-vati  or  Mahat,  Universal  mind. 

3.  Satya-bhdmd  or  Ahankara. 

4.  Kdlindi  or  Akasa-Tanmatra,  sound,  Akasa. 

5.  Mitt  a  Vinda  or  Vayu-Tanmatra,  Touch,  Air. 

6  Satya  or  Nagnajiti,  Agni-Tanmatra,  Form  Fire. 

7.  Bkadtd,  Ap-Tanmatra,  Taste,  Water. 

8.  Lakskand,  Kshiti-Tanmatra,  smell,  Earth. 

The  Energies  of  Prakriti  have  a  double  tendency,  one  of 
lower  transformation,  of  materialisation,  of  descent  and  another  of 
higher  transformation,  of  spiritualisation,  of  ascent.  Sri  Krishna,  by 
His  Avatarship,  attracted  to  Himself  the  higher  tendency  of  all  the 
energies  of  Prakriti.  This  is  how  he  was  wedded  to  all  the  aspects  of 
Prakriti. 

Rukmini  is  the  spiritual  energy  of  Mula  Prakriti.  Read  the 
talk  between  Krishna  and  Rukmini  (X.  80). 

The  legend  of  the  Syamantaka  jewel  is  a  mysterious  one.  It 
was  the  gift  of  the  Sun-God.  It  used  to  produce  gold  every  day. 

The  Hiranya-Garbha  Purusha  of  Vedic  Upasana  has  its  seat 
Inside  the  Sun-God.  "  The  Purusha  inside  Aditya."  This  Purusha 
is  the  Adhi-daiva  of  Bhagavat  Gita,  as  explained  by  Sankaracharya. 
All  the  Devas  proceed  from  Him.  He  is  the  one  Deva,  also  called 
Prana.  (Vide  Yajnavalkya's  answer  to  Sakala — Brihat  Aranyaka 
Upanishad  III.  9.)  Hiranya  is  gold.  Hiranya-garbha  is  that  which 
has  gold  in  its  womb.  The  Syamantaka  jewel  gave  protection 
against  diseases,  accidents,  and  other  dangers.  These  are  all  the  re 
sults  of  Hiranya-garbha  Upasana.  Syamantaka  represents  Hiranya- 
garbha  Upasana. 

Sri  Krishna  wanted  that  this  Upasana  should  be  replaced  by 
the  Upasana  of  Isvara. 

The  jewel  was  lost.  It  was  carried  away  by  some  religious 
movement,  represented  as  a  lion. 

Jamba-vat  snatched  it  from  the  Lion.  Jambavat,  the  bear  king, 
was  one  of  the  chief  allies  of  Sugriva.  He  was  the  oldest  in  years 
and  the  wisest  in  counsel. 

"  When  Vamana  stepped  over  the  three  Lokas,  I  made 
a  respectful  circuit  round  Him."  Ramayana  KishkirrJha  Kanda. 
Chap.  64-15. 


"When  Vamana  became  an  Avatara  I  moved  round  the  earth 
twenty  one  times.  I  threw  plants  into  the  Sea  which  yielded  Amritfc. 
by  churning.  Now  I  am  qld."  R^m^yana  Kishkindha  K&nda 
Chap.  65-32. 

While  Rama  was  about  to  ascend  to  heaven  b.e  addressed 
the  old  Jamba  vat,  as  a  son  of  Brahma,  and  asked  him  to  stay  behind 
till  the  approach  of  Kali — Uttara  Kanda>  Ghap.  121-34. 

Jambavat  represents  a  very  old  religious  movement)  which  was 
out  of  date  even  in  Rama's  time* 

Hiranyagarbha  Upasana  became  old  and  a  thing  of  the  past. 
But  however  hoary  it  might  be  with  years,  it  was  holy  with  the  tradi 
tions  of  the  Vedas  and,  though  Krishna  had  no  direct  hand  in  its  dis 
appearance,  people  thought  the  disappearance  was  the  outcome  of 
His  Avatarship  To  save  His  reputation  Krishna  restored  the  jewel 
from  Jambavat,  but  it  could  not  long  remain  in  the  hands  of  Satrajit. 
Vedic  Upasana  did  survive.  But  it  survived  only  in  Vedic  Sandhya 
and  Gayatri,  which  were  represented  by  Akrura. 

Krishna  was  wedded  to  Jambavat?,  the  spiritual  energy  of 
Mahat. 

Satya*bh£m£  is  the  spiritual  energy  of  Ahankara.  She  holds 
the  Vina>  with  the  seven  notes  of  differentiation.  The  Vedas  pro 
ceed  from  these  notes  and  also  all  departments  of  knowledge.  Satya* 
bhama  is  the  goddess  of  learning* 

There  is  not  much  to  say  about  the  five  other  principal  wives. 

The  last  of  these  wives,  Lakshana,  represents  the  spiritual 
energy  of  earth*  Coming  down  to  earth,  we  proceed  to  Naraka,  son 
of  Earth.  The  word  Naraka  literally  means  Hell,  hence  gross  ma 
teriality.  We  have  found  that  the  Purana  writers  place  Naraka  below 
the  Patalas.  Sixteen  thousand  girls  representing  all  earthly  and 
material  energies  had  been  snatched  away  by  Naraka,  They  all 
became  wedded  to  Sri  Krishna. 

V&sudeva,  $ankarshana>  Pradyuvtna,  Aniniddha. 

The  following  correspondences  were  given  by  Kapila  to  his 
mother  Devahuti.  (III.  26  > 


tfpdsya 

Adhibhufa, 

Adkyatttta 

Adkidtva 

Vasudeva 

Mahat 

Ghitta 

Kshetrajna 

Sankarsana 

Ahankara' 

Ahankara 

Rudra 

Aniruddha 

Manas 

Manas 

The  Moon  god 

Pradyumna 

Buddhi 

Buddhi 

Brahm& 

46 

t  362  ] 

Chitta  is  transparent,  without  transformation,  and  calm,  even 
as  the  first  state  of  water.  III.  26.  XXI. 

"Transparent" — capable  of  of  receiving  the  image  Bhaga- 
vat. 

"  Without  transformation  " — without  indolence  and  distraction. 
Sridhara 

Chitta  is  the  abode  of  Bhagavat,  i.  e.  Bhagavat  is  perceived  by 
Chitta.  III.  26.  XX. 

Differences  cause  many-sidedness  and  distraction. 
Ahankara  Tatva  brings  differences  into  manifestation. 
Beyond  the  plane  of  Ahankara  Tatva,  is  the  plane  of  Mahat, 
Mahat  literally  means  big,  great,  universal. 
It  is  the  plane  of  universal  manifestation. 

The  mind  is  universal  on  this  plane.  As  soon  as  the  One 
Purusha  wished  to  be  many,  Prakriti  gave  rise  to  the  Mahat  trans 
formation  and  Mahat  took  up  the  wish  to  be  many.  It  was  one,  but 
it  had  the  potency  of  becoming  many.  The  whole  universe  that  was 
to  manifest  itself  was  mirrored  in  Mahat,  and  was  the  subject  matter 
of  one  thought,  the  thought  of  one  who  had  the  universe  for  his  body. 
During  the  period  of  creation,  Mahat  soon  transformed  itself  into 
Ahankara,  the  Tatva  of  differences.  Ahankara  gave  rise  to  different 
bodies,  different  minds  and  different  faculties ;  individuals  appeared 
and  they  started  on  separate  lines  of  manifestation  and  of  evolution. 

On  their  homeward  journey,  individuals  again  reach  the  plane 
of  Mahat,  when  they  rise  above  all  differences,  lose  all  sense  of  person 
ality  and  carry  their  experiences  to  the  plane  of  the  Universe.  Their 
thoughts  then  become  thoughts  of  the  Universe,  guided  by  one  feel 
ing,  that  of  compassion  for  those  that  remain  behind,  There  is  no 
thought  of  self,  no  distraction,  no  impurity,  it  is  all  calm  and  tranquil  ; 
such  a  mind  is  called  Chitta  by  Kapila.  This  Chitta  is  the  abode  of 
peace,  the  abode  of  Bhagavat. 

Bhagavat,  when  reflected  on  Chitta,  is  VASUDEVA,  He  is 
the  Purusha  seated  on  Ananta. 

SANKARSANA  is  Bhagavat  as  reflected  on  Ahankara.  He 
is  called  Ananta  or  endless,  as  there  is  no  end  of  individuals.  He  is 
Bhagavat  as  manifested  in  every  individual  and  may  be  called,  in  one 
sense,  the  Purusha  of  Individual  souls.  Balarama  is  said  to  be  an  in 
carnation  of  Sankarshana.  As  individuals  proceed  in  their  course  of 
life  journeys,  they  become  crystallised  into  separate  entities,  with  a 
strong  sense  of  personality.  The  inner  self,  the  real  self,  runs  the 


i   363  1 

risk  of  becoming  swallowed  up  by  the  outer  self,  the  Upaclhi  of  indi 
viduality.  The  point  is  reached,  when  individuals  are  to  be  drawn 
back  to  their  homes,  their  real  selves.  Therefore  Balarama  used  the 
plough  to  draw  in  others.  This  is  a  process  of  destruction.  The 
material  nature  is  gradually  destroyed  in  us.  Therefore  Balarama  is 
also  called  an  incarnation  of  Rudra  or  Siva  according  to  Vaishnava 
texts.  He  is  Rudra  Himself.  The  fire  from  the  mouth  of  Sankar- 
shana  burns  the  Triloki  at  Pralaya.  Sankarshana  literally  means  "  he 
who  draws  in  completely."  The  process  of  Pralaya  has  already  set  in. 
The  whole  process  of  spiiitual  ascent  is  a  process  of  material  Pralaya. 
According  to  some  therefore,  Vishnu  and  Siva  united  to  form  Hari- 
hara,  at  the  time  of  the  Great  Churning,  when  this  process  first  set  in. 
When  individuals  throw  off  their  material  garb,  or  when,  by  Pralayic 
force,  their  material  cover  is  forcibly  removed,  they  become  fit  to  be 
gathered  together  and  to  become  merged  at  Pralaya  in  the  One. 

PRADYUMNA  is  the  wish  of  Bhagavat,  as  imprinted  on  the 
course  of  universal  evolution.  He  is  the  wish  of  God.  When  the 
one  wished  to  be  many,  He  represented  that  wish  and  gave  the  entire 
turn  to  the  course  of  evolution,  that  it  might  adopt  itself  to  that 
wish.  Individuals  multiplied.  Desires  became  many  and  all  actions 
became  Sakama.  Pradyumna  was  then  called  Kamadeva,  the  God  of 
Love,  or  desire. 

When  the  course  of  descent  was  arrested,  Kamadeva  was  de 
stroyed  by  fire  from  the  forehead  of  Siva.  He  appeared  again,  but 
this  time  he  appeared  as  the  son  of  Krishna.  The  wish  of  his  father 
now  was  to  be  one  again,  for  He  had  already  become  many,  as  many 
as  the  Karma  of  the  previous  Kalpa  would  allow.  And  Pradyumna 
had  to  impress  this  wish  upon  individuals  generally,  so  that  the  ascent 
of  matter  to  spirit  might  be  universal. 

According  to  KapHa,  Pradyumna  is  reflected  on  Buddhi. 
Buddhi  is  defined  by  him  as  that  faculty  by  which  objects  are  per 
ceived.  Doubt,  false  understanding,  true  understanding,  memory 
and  sleep,  these  are  the  indications  of  that  faculty.  (III.  26.  XXV I II, 
XXIX). 

ANIRUDDHAisthe  son  of  Pradyurrma.  According  to  Kapila, 
he  is  reflected  on  Manas,  the  faculty  of  Sankalpa  and  Vikalpa. 
Sankalpa  in  Sankhya  terminology  is  the  first  or  general  idea  of  a 
thing. 

Vikalpa  is  the  idea  of  the  peculiarity  of  a  thing.  Thus  when 
I  cast  a  passing  glance  at  a  man,  I  know  nothing  of  him  except  that 


t  564  ] 

he  is  a   man.      But   when  I  look  at  him  carefully,  I  know  his  pecu>- 
Uarities  and  can  differentiate  him  from  others. 

The  first  idea  is  the  idea  of  a  thing  in  its  primity  or  dawn. 

The  second  idea  is  the  idea  of  its  peculiarities.  It  is  the  second 
idea  which  gives  rise  to  likes  and  dislikes. 

In  the  course  of  ascent,  we  must  carry  general  ideas.  We  must 
rise  from  particulars  to  generals.  The  mind  will  thus  be  freed  from 
the  burden  of  personal  and  material  thoughts. 

Aniruddba  became  wedded  to  Usha  or  Dawn.    He  is  Bhagaval 
as  perceived  by  Manas. 

END  OF  THE  TENTH  SKANDHA, 


THE  ELEVENTH  SKANDHA. 
THE  MUSHALA.    XI.  I. 

Sri  Krishna,  with  the  help  of  Rama,  the  Yadavas  and  the 
Pandavas,  killed  the  Daityas,  born  as  Kings.  He  made  the  Pandavas 
his  instruments  in  the  great  war.  When  the  Kings  on  both  sides  and 
their  armies  were  killed,  Sri  Krishna  thought  within  himself: — "  The 
pressure  is  not  yet  all  removed  from  the  earth.  For  these  powerful 
Yadavas,  backed  by  me,  have  become  mad  with  power.  I  shall  bring 
on  disunion  among  them,  which  will  be  the  cause  of  their  death. 
Then  I  can  have  rest  and  may  go  to  my  own  abode.'1 

Visva-mitra,  Asita,  Kanva,  Durvasas,  Bhrigu,  Angiras,  Kasyapa, 
Vamadeva,  Atri,  Vasistha,  Narada  and  other  Rishis  went  to  a  sacred 
place  called  Pindaraka  near  Dvaroka.  The  Yadava  boys  were  play 
ing  among  themselves.  They  dressed  Samba,  son  of  Jambavati, 
as  a  girl  and  took  him  to  the  Rishis,  saying  she  was  pregnant  and 
inquiring  whether  she  would  have  a  son  or  a  daughter.  The  Rishis 
could  not  bear  this  impertinence  and  they  said  : — "  O  you  fools,  she 
will  bring  forth  a  Mushala  (a  pestle)  that  will  be  the  ruin  of  your 
line."  The  boys  were  terrified.  Samba  did  produce  an  iron  pestle. 
They  took  the  pestle  and  went  home.  The  boys  related  the  story  to 
all  the  YSdavas.  Ahuka,  the  chief  of  the  clan,  ordered  the  pestle  to 
be  ground  down  to  powder  and  the  powder  to  be  thrown  into  the 
Sea.  This  was  done,  but  a  portion  remained.  That  portion  was  also 
thrown  into  the  Sea.  A  fish  swallowed  the  iron  piece.  The  fish  was 
caught  by  a  fisherman.  He  made  two  spears  of  the  iron  found  in  the 
fish.  The  powdered  iron  grains  were  carried  by  the  waves  to  th^ 
coast  and  there  they  grew  into  reeds, 

THE  BHAGAVATA  PATH. 
SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  2-5. 

Vasudeva  asked  Narada  about  the  Path  of  Bhagavat  which 
leads  to  Moksha.  Narada  said  : — 

"Of  the  sons  of  Rishabha,  nine  became  well-versed  in  Atma 
Vidya.  They  were  Kavi,  Hari,  Antariksha,  Prabuddha,  Pippalayana 
Avirhotra,  Drumila,  Chamasa/and  Kara-bhajana. 

The  Rishis  of  Bharata  Varsha  were  performing  Yajna  at  the 
place  of  Nimi  and  these  nine  Rishis  went  there. 


[     366     ] 

Nimi  asked  the  Rishis  about  \hz  path  of  Bhagavat. 
Kavi  said  : — 

The  path  of  Bhagavat  consists  of  such  expedients  as  the  Lord 
mentioned  Himself  (for  those  that  are  not  wise)  for  the  speedy  acquisi 
tion  of  self  knowledge.  In  following  this  Path>  man  is  not  overcome 
by  obstacles  (as  in  the  path  of  Yoga).  He  may  run  along  this  path 
even  with  closed  eyes  without  fear  of  losing  his  steps  (with  closed  eyes 
e.  i.  even  without  knowing  where  he  goes  and  what  he  does). 

(What  is  the  path  then  ?). 

Whatever  a  man  does,  whether  it  be  the  body  or  speech  or 
mind  or  the  senses  or  intellect  or  the  sense  of  I-ness  that  acts,  let  him 
offer  that  all  up  to  the  Supreme  Narayana. 

He  who  is  removed  from  fsvara,  (first)  forgets  (fsvara),  (As- 
mriti\ ,  then  there  is  wrong  preception  such  as  "I  am  the  body" — . 
(Viparyayci).  This  is  caused  by  the  Maya  of  Bhagavat.  Fear  arises 
from  devotion  to  the  Second.  Therefore  wise  men  worship  the  Lord 
only,  with  unfailing  Bhakti,  knowing  his  Guru  to  be  one  with  fsvara 
and  Atma.' " 

(The  Bhagavata  School  classifies  Jivas  under  two  heads — • 
Antar  Mukha  and  Bahir  Mukha.  Antar  Mukha  is  literally  one 
with  his  face  turned  inwards  i.  e.>  one  who  withdraws  himself  from 
the  outside  world  and  looks  to  self  within,  which  is  only  an  aspect 
of  Isvara. 

Bahir  Mukha  Jiva  is  one  with  his  face  turned  outwards  i.  e.t 
one  who  withdraws  himself  from  the  self-within  and  therefore  from 
Isvara.  He  first  loses  sight  of  Isvara,  forgets  that  he  (the  Jiva)  is  an 
aspect  of  Isvara  and  that  he  is  not  the  same  as  the  body.  He  then 
considers  the  body  as  one  with  himself  and  concerns  himself  only 
with  its  relations  to  the  outside  world.  This  is  called  forgetting  and 
wrong  perception.  "  Fear  arises  from  devotion  to  the  Second."  The 
Second  is  that  which  is  not  self.  In  meditation,  the  Guru  stands  be 
tween  Isvara  and  self,  and  is  fsvara  for  all  practical  purposes  to  the 
devotee). 

The  Dvaita  (Mayic  manifestation),  though  not  existing,  appears 
to  exist,  through  the  mind  of  man,  like  dreams  and  desires.  There 
fore  wise  men  should  control  the  mind,  which  gives  rise  to  desires 
and  doubts  about  actions.  Then  there  shall  be  no  fear. 

[  The  existence  of  the  outside  world  and  of  the  body  is  like 
the  existence  of  dreams  and  desires.  The  dream  exists  for  the  time 
being  and  then  disappears  altogether.  The  dream  has  its  existence 


[    367   ] 

because  the  mind  brings  it  into  existence.  It  is  a  creation  of  the  mind, 
not  permanently  attached  to  the  Jiva.  So  desires  are  also  creations  of 
the  mind,  not  permanently  attached  to  the  Jiva.  But  they  have  k°t 
a  temporary  existence.  That  existence,  however,  is  an  existence  in 
the  mind  of  the  man  entertaining  the  dreams  and  desires  and  not 
outside  the  mind.  Therefore  the  existence  is  not  a  real  one. 

So  the  body  of  the  Jiva  and  its  surroundings  are  temporarily 
attached  to  the  Jiva.  As  the  dream  vanishes  in  the  wakeful  state,  so 
the  body  and  its  surroundings  disappear  with  the  transformation 
called  Death.  Body  after  body,  surroundings  after  surroundings,  are 
dreams,  as  it  were,  in  the  mind  that  bears  all  through  the  bubbles 
arising  in  the  ocean  of  Jivic  existence. 

The  realisation  of  this  temporary  connection  of  the  body  and 
its  surroundings  is  a  training  for  the  Antarmukha  Jiva,  for  it  enables 
him  to  turn  towards  Isvara  and  the  permanent  aspect  of  Jiva. 

The  non-existence  of  Dvaita  has  always  to  be  understood  with 
reference  to  Jiva  or  Isvara,  and  not  independently^  for  the  flow  of 
Prakriti  is  eternal.  The  disregard  of  this  primary  idea  has  given  rise 
to  many  misconceptions.] 

( Then  as  to  Antarmukha  practices.)  Hear  about  the  Incarna 
tions  of  Vishnu  and  His  blessed  deeds,  hear  about  his  names  full  of 
import  as  to  those  deeds  and  Incarnations,  hear  and  sing  the  songs 
about  Him,  without  any  sense  of  uneasiness  as  to  what  others  will 
say.  Then  roam  over  the  earth  free  from  all  worldly  attachments. 

By  such  practices,  and  by  the  recital  of  His  dear  names,  love 
for  Bhagavat  grows  up.  The  heart  then  melts  away.  The  devotee 
laughs  loudly,  he  weeps,  he  cries  aloud,  he  sings  and  he  dances  like  a 
mad  man.  He  loses  all  control  over  himself. 

He  salutes  Akasa,  Vayu,  Agni,  Water,  Earth,  the  planets,  the 
trees,  the  Seas  and  all  beings  as  forming  the  body  of  his  Hari.  For 
he  knows  nothing  else. 

He,  who  worships  Bhagavat  in  this  way,  has  Devotion  (Bhakti), 
perception  of  Isvara  (Anubhava)  and  dispassion  (Virakti) — all  three 
growing  at  one  and  the  same  time,  as,  by  eating,  one  gets  pleasure, 
nutrition  and  satisfaction  of  hunger  all  at  one  and  the  same  time. 

The  Bhagavata  then  attains  supreme  peace. 

II.  Nimi  then  asked:  "What  are  the  Characteristics  of  a 
Bhdgavata  and  what  are  the  Signs  by  ivhich  a  BhAgavata  is  known  ? 


t  368  ] 

Hari  replied  :— 

"  He  who  sees  in  all  beings  the  existence  of  Bhagavat  as  in  his 
own  self,  and  sees  all  beings  in  the  Bhagavat  within  himself  is  the 
highest  Bhagavata. 

He  wljo  bears  love  towards  fsvara  friendship  towards  his  de* 
pendents,  kindness  toward  the  ignorant,  and  indifference  towards  his 
enemies  belongs  to  the  next  class  of  Bhagavatas. 

He  who  worships  an  image  as  Hari  with  faith,  but  has  no  regard 
for  Bhaktas  and  for  other  beings  is  only  a  beginner  as  a  Bhakta. 

The  highest  Bhagavata  perceives  the  objects  with  his  senses, 
but  does  not  feel  either  aversion  or  pleasure.  He  looks  upon  the 
universe  as  the  Maya  of  Vishnu. 

By  constant  meditation  on  Hari,  he  is  not  affected  by  the  chan 
ges  of  Hfe.  Desires  have  no  place  in  his  mind,  so  devoted  is  he  to 
Vasudeva. 

He  is  the  favourite  of  Hari,  who  does  not  take  pride  in  his  birth, 
Karma,  caste  or  Asrama. 

The  highest  Bhagavata  does  not  know  "Mine"  and  "Thine," 
either  in  wealth  or  in  body.  He  looks  upon  all  beings  with  equal  eyes. 
His  mind  is  always  at  peace, 

Even  for  the  sake  of  all  the  three  Lokas,  the  Vaishnava  will 
not  for  a  moment  forget  the  lotus  feet  of  Bhagavat. 

And  more,  he  is  the  greatest  of  all  Bhagavatas,  to  whose 
heart  Hari  is  bound  down  by  the  tie  of  Love." 

III.  Nimi  asked  :—"  What  is  then  this  MdyA  of  the  Supreme 
Lord?" 

Antariksha  replied  : — 

"Maya  of  Bhagavat  is  that  which  causes  the  creation,  preserva 
tion  and  dissolution  of  this  universe." 

IV.  Nimi  asked  : — "How  can  one  whose  mind  is  not  controlled 
and  who  is  of  dull  understanding  easily  cross  over  this  Mdyd^ 

Prabuddha  replied  : — 

"Have  recourse  to  a  Guru,  who  knows  the  Truth  and  is  fixed 
in  the  supreme.  Learn  the  duties  of  Bhagavatas  from  him.  Practise 
non-attachment,  keep  company  with  Sadhus.  Be  kind  to  your  in 
feriors,  friendly  to  your  equals  and  i'espectful  to  your  superiors1. 
Keep  your  body  and  mind  pure.  Regulate  your  life  by  fixed  rules. 
Have  forgiveness.  Do  not  talk  idly.  Read  the  sacred  books,  Be 


.[    3*9    1 

upright.  Be  temperate.  Be  harmless  to  all  beings.  Bear  good  and 
evil,  pleasure  and  pain  with  equanimity.  Find  out  Atma  and  Isvara 
everywhere.  Free  yourself  from  all  connections.  Do  not  bind  your 
self  clown  to  your  house.  Have  that  which  is  easily  got  for  your 
clothing.  Be  content  with  anything  and  everything.  Have  faith  in 
the  Bhagavata  Sastra,  but  do  not  blame  any  other  Sastra.  Control 
your  mind,  speech  and  actions.  Speak  the  truth.  Control  your 
inner  and  outer  senses.  Hear,  recite  and  meditate  on  the  deeds  and 
Avataras  of  Hari.  Let  all  your  exertions  be  for  Him.  Offer  up  all, 
even  your  wife,  children  and  your  own  life,  to  Him.  In  the  company 
of  Bhagavatas,  interchange  devotion  and  love,  remind  each  other  and 
speak  to  each  other  of  the  glory  of  Bhagavat,  till  your  hair  stands  on 
end,  and  you  will  sometimes  dance  and  sometimes  sing,  maddened 
by  your  devotional  thoughts  about  Achyuta. 

These  are  the  duties  of  a  Bhagavata  and  by  practising  these, 
he  may  easily  cross  over  Maya." 

V.  Nimi  asked  : — "  How   can    one   be  fixed  in   devotion    to 
Narayana?" 

Pippalayana  replied  : — 

"When  through  the  desire  of  attaining  the  feet  of  Vishnu,  one 
has  strong  devotion,  the  impurities  of  one's  mind  are  destroyed. 
When  the  mind  is  purified,  it  becomes  fixed  in  Atma." 

VI.  Nimi  asked  : — "Tell  me  about  Karma  Yoga,  by  the  per 
formance  of  which  Karma  is  speedily  destroyed." 

Avirhotra  replied  : — 

Vedic  Karma  does  not  directly  lead  to  Moksha.  Offer  up 
your  Vedic  Karma  to  Isvara,  and  perform  it,  without  any  worldly 
attachment,  however. 

He  who  wants  speedily  to  cut  asunder  the  tie  of  Ahankara 
shall  worship  Vishnu  in  the  way  prescribed  in  the  Tantras  or  Agama. 
(Vedic  Karma  at  first  consisted  of  Vedic  Yajna.  The  Gita  gave  a 
death  blow  to  the  performance  of  Vedic  Yajnas.  Nishkdma  Karma 
took  the  place  of  Kamya  Karma,  The  Vedic  Karma  however  sur 
vived  in  the  Sandhya  Mantras,  which  conform  themselves  to  the  Path 

.of  Up£sana. 

* 
The  Vedic  Sandhya  is  however  meant  only  for  Brahmanas. 

The  Tantric  Sandhya  is  an  imitation  of  the  Vedic   Sandhya, 
adapted  to  all  classes  of  men,  and  it  supplements  the  Vedic  Sandhya 
47 


[     370    ]. 

by  laying  down  a  method  of  worshipping1  the  Lord  in  the  heart  and 
of  worshipping  His  image.  Mantras  are  also  prescribed.  Devotion 
is  the  chief  element  in  Tantric  Upasana  and  this  Upasana  is  enjoined 
for  all  Bhagavatas  or  Vaishnavas.  There  are  Siva  Tantras,  Sakti 
Tantras,  Ganapati  Tantras,  Sflrya  Tantras  as  well  as  Vaishnava 
Tantras.  There  are  black  rites  prescribed  in  some  of  the  Sakti 
Tantras  and  the  Tantras  have  therefore  got  a  bad  name  with  many. 
But  the  Tantras  as  a  whole  form  the  only  science  of  practical  occul 
tism  in  Sanscrit,  and  the  Vaishnava  Upasan&  is  strictly  a  Tantric 
Upasana. 

I  do  not  enter  here  into  the  details  of  that  Upasana,  though 
some  details  are  given  in  the  text.) 

VII.  Nimi  said  : — "  Tell  me  about  the  Avataras  and   Their 
deeds   O   Rishis."      Drumila  gave   a   short  account  of  the  Avataras, 
commencing  from  the  First  Purusha.     As  this  is  nearly  a  repetition  of 
what  has  been  said  before,  no  attempt  is  made  to  reproduce  it. 

VIII.  Nimi  asked  what  is  the  destiny  of  those  that  do  not  wor 
ship  Bhagavat,  those  that  have  no   control  over  theii  mind  and  their 
senses. 

Chamasa  replied  : — "  They  enter  the  regions  of  darkness  (Tamas)." 
IX.     Nimi  asked. 

"  What  is  the  Color  pf  the  manifestation  of  Bhagavat  at  each 
period,  how  does   he   manifest   Himself,  by  what  name  is  He  known 
and  in  what  way  is  He  worshipped  ?  " 
Karabhajana  replied  : — 

In  Satya  Yuga,  Bhagavat  becomes  white,  with  four  hands,  with 
tufts  of  braided  hair,  with  bark  round  His  waist.  He  bears  a  black 
deer-skin,  the  sacred  thread  and  beads,  and  has  Danda  (the  rod  of  an 
ascetic)  and  Kamandalu  (the  water-pot  of  an  ascetic)  in  his  hands. 
(/.  e.  He  looks  like  a  Brahmacharin). 

Men  are  then  peaceful  and  friendly  towards  one  another.  There 
are  no  differences  amongst  them.  They  worship  the  Lord  by  means 
of  Tapas,  by  control  of  the  senses  and  of  the  mind. 

Bhagavat  is  then  known  by  the  following  names : — Hansa, 
Suparna,  Vaikuntha,  Dharma,  Yogesvara,  Amala,  Isvara,  Purusha, 
Avyakta,  and  Paramatman. 

In  Treta,  Bhagavat  becomes  Red.  He  has  four  hands  and 
golden  hair.  His  form  is  that  of  Yajna.  Men  are  pious  at  the  time. 
They  worship  Bhagavat  by  Vedic  Yajna. 


[     3/1     ] 
Bhagavat  is  kuown  by  the  following  names  : — 

Vishnu,  Yajna,  Prisnf-garbha,  Sarvadeva,  Uru-krama,  VrishA 
Kapi,  Jayanta  and  Urugaya. 

In  Dvapara,  Bhagavat  is  Syama.  (The  word  Syama  ordina 
rily  means  dark-blue.  But  Sridhara  explains  the  wc/rd  here  as  the 
color  of  an  Atasi  flower,  which  is  generally  yellow.  This  is  because 
the  Bhagavat  speaks  before  of  white,  red,  yellow  and  black  as  the 
colors  of  Yuga  Avataras.)  His  cloth  is  yellow. 

Men  worship  Him  both  by  Vedic  and  Tantric  methods. 

Vasudeva,  Sankarshana,  Pradyumna,  Aniruddha,  Narayana, 
Visvesvara  and  Visva  are  his  names. 

In  Kali,  worship  is  made  according  to  the  Tantras,  which  are 
various. 

Bhagavat  is  black  (Krishna).  Men  worship  Him,  His  Symbols 
and  attendants  mostly  by  loud  recitals  of  names  and  prayers  (Sankir- 
tana).  Wise  men  praise  Kali  because  worship  is  so  easily  made  by 
mere  Sankirtana.  Even  men  in  Satya  Yuga  wish  to  be  born  in  Kali 
Yuga. 

Nimi  respected  the  nine  Rishis  and  they  disappeared  in  the 
presence  of  all  men.  . 

Vasudeva  and  Devaki  heard  this  story  from  Narada.  They 
realised  Krishna  as  fsvara  and  they  acquired  wisdom. 


KRISHNA  AND  UDDHAVA. 
SKANDHA  XL  CHAP.  6. 

Brahma  and  other  Devas  went  to  Dvaraka.  Addressing  Krish 
na  ;  Brahma  said  : — "  All  that  we  prayed  for  has  been  done.  One 
hundred  and  twenty-five  years  have  passed  away  since  thou  didst 
appear  in  the  line  of  Yadus.  That  line  is  also  well  nigh  extinguished. 
Now  go  back  to  thy  own  abode,  if  it  pleases  thee." 

Sri  Krishna  replied  : — "  The  extinction  of  the  Yadavas  has 
been  set  on  foot  by  the  curse  of  the  Rishis.  I  shall  remain  on  Earth, 
till  it  is  completly  brought  about."  There  were  unusual  phenomena 
at  Dvaraka.  The  elders  came  to  Krishna.  He  proposed  a  pilgrim 
age  to  Prabhasa.  So  the  Ycktavas  made  preparations  for  going  to 
Prabhasa.  Uddhava  saw  the  evil  portents  and  he  heard  what  Sri 
Krishna  said.  "  I  see,  OLord,"  said  he  to  Sri  Krishna,  "  thou  shalt 


[     372    ] 

leave  this  earth,  as  soon  as  the  Yadus  are  destroyed.     I  can  not  miss 
thy  feet  even  for  half  a  moment.     So  take  me  to  thy  own  abode." 

Sri  Krishna  replied  : — It  is  true  as  you  say.  My  mission  is 
fulfilled.  The  Devas  ask  me  to  go  back.  The  Yadavas  shall  be 
killed  by  mutual  quarrel.  On  the  seventh  day  from  this,  the  sea 
shall  swallow  up  this  seat  of  Dvaraka.  As  soon  as  I  leave  this  earth, 
Kali  shall  overtake  it  and  men  shall  grow  unrighteous.  It  will  not 
then  be  meet  for  you  to  remain  here.  Give  up  all  and  free  yourself 
from  all  attachments  and  roam  about  over  this  earth,  with  your  mind 
fixed  on  me,  looking  on  all  beings  with  equal  eyes.  Whatever  is 
perceived  by  the  senses  and  the  mind,  know  all  that  to  be  of  the 
mind,  and  so  Mayic  and  transitory.  "  This  is  this  "  and  "  this  is 
that "  this  conception  of  difference  is  only  a  delusion  of  him  whose 
mind  is  distracted  (/.  e.  not  united  to  Me).  It  is  this  delusion  which 
causes  experiences  of  right  and  wrong.  It  is  for  those  that  have  got 
notions  of  right  and  wrong  that  (the  Vedas  speak)  differently  of  the 
performance  of  prescribed  work  (Karma),  the  non-performance  of 
prescribed  work  (A karma),  and  the  performance  of  prohibited  work 
(Vikarma).  (This  has  reference  to  Varna  and  Asrama  duties.  As 
long  as  a  man  identifies  himself  with  some  Varna  or  Asrama  he 
looks  upon  others  also  as  belonging  to  some  Varna  or  Asrama.  He 
therefore  makes  a  distinction  between  men  and  men.  The  Varna- 
srama  duties  are  prescribed  by  the  Vedas  for  a  man,  so  long  as  he 
entertains  ideas  of  difference.  When  he  looks  equally  upon  a 
Brahmana  and  a  Chandala,  when  he  finds  his  Lord  every  where  and 
finds  all  beings  in  the  Lord  within  himself,  he  becomes  a  man  of  the 
Universe,  a  Bhagavata.  For  him  the  Vedas  do  not  make  any  rule.  He 
is  above  all  rules  and  restrictions.  But  the  Varnasrama  duties  are  to  be 
respected,  so  long  as  one  makes  any  difference  between  man  and 
man.)  Control  thy  senses  and  control  thy  mind.  See  the  wide-spread 
Universe  in  thyself  and  see  thyself  in  Me,  the  Lord.  Learn  and  digest 
all  that  is  given  in  the  scriptures.  Contented  with  self  perception,  the 
very  self  of  all  other  beings,  you  shall  have  no  danger  from  others.  You 
will  do  no  wrong  but  not  because  it  is  prohibited  by  the  Scriptures, 
and  you  will  do  what  is  prescribed  but  not  because  it  is  so  prescribed 
(*'.  e.  the  sense  of  right  and  wrong  will  be  natural  in  you,  independent 
ly  of  Sastric  teachings.)  You  will  exceed  the  limits  of  both  right 
and  wrong  and  do  things  just  like  a  child.  The  friend  of  all  beings, 
calm  and  quiet  at  heart,  fixed  in  wisdom  and  direct  knowledge, 
you  will  see  the  Universe  full  of  Me  and  you  will  not  be  drawn  back 
to  births. 


t     373     ] 
Uddhava  said  : — 

0  Lord  of  Yoga,  what  thou  sayest  for  my  final  bliss  is  a  com 
plete  renunciation  of  all  worldly  attachments    It   seems   to   me   how 
ever   that  the  giving  up  of  desires  is  not  possible  for  those  that  have 
their  mind   filled   with  the  object  world,    unless  they  are  completely 
devoted  to  Thee. 

1  have  not  yet  got  over  the  sense  of  "  I  "  and  "  Mine."     Tell 
me  how  I  can  easily  follow  out  Thy  teachings/' 

Sri  Krishna  replied  : — 

Generally  those  men  that  are  skilful  in  discrimination  rescue 
self  from  worldly  desires  by  means  of  self,  (t.  e.  they  may  do  so,  even 
without  the  help  of  a  Guru,  by  means  of  self  discrimination.)  Self 
is  the  instructor  of  self,  specially  in  man  (Furusha.)  (Even  in  ani 
mals,  preserving  instincts  proceed  from  self.  So  self  is  the  instructor 
Sridhara^}  For  it  is  self  that  finds  out  final  bliss  by  direct  percep 
tion  and  by  inference.  Wise  men,  well  versed  in  Sankhya  and  Yoga, 
look  upon  Me  as  Purusha  pervading  all  beings,  and  possessing  all 
powers.  (This  is  according  to  Sridhara,  the  direct  perception  by 
which  final  bliss  is  attained.  The  word  Purusha  here  has  something 
like  the  sense  of  a  Monad  in  Theosophical  literature.  The  passage 
quoted  by  Sridhara  from  the  LJpanishads  to  illustrate  the  idea  of 
Purusha  also  shews  this.)  There  are  many  habitations  created  for  life 
manifestation,  some,  with  one,  two,  three  or  four  feet,  some  with  many 
feet  and  some  with  no  foot.  Of  these,  however,  that  of  man  (Pourushi) 
is  dear  to  me.  For  in  this  form  of  Man  those  that  are  fixed  in  medita 
tion  truly  find  me  out,  the  Lord,  though  beyond  all  objects  of  percep 
tion,  by  the  indications  of  perceived  attributes  as  well  as  by  inferences 
from  the  same.  (Indications.  Bucldhi,  Manas  and  others,  the 
perceived  attributes,  are  in  their  nature  manifestless.  The  manifesta 
tion  is  not  possible  except  through  one  that  is  self  manifest. 
Therefore  Buddhi  and  others  point  to  Him. 

Inferences.  Whenever  there  is  an  instrument,  there  is  some 
one  to  use  it.  Buddhi  and  others  are  instruments.  There  is  therefore 
one  who  guides  these.  Stidhara.)  In  this  matter  of  self  instruction, 
hear  the  story  of  an  Ava-dhuta  fan  ascetic  who  renounces  all  worldly 
attachments  and  connections.) 


[     374     ] 
SELF-INSTRUCTION. 

SKANDHA  XI.    CHAP.  7-9. 

Yadu  asked  an  Ava-dhuta  how  he  could  get  that  clear  spiri 
tual  vision,  by  which  he  was  able  to  give  up  all  attachments,  and 
roam  like  a  child  in  perfect  bliss. 

The  Ava-dhuta  replied  : — 

I  have  many  Gurus,  O  king — Earth,  Air,  Akasa,  Water,  Fire, 
the  Moon,  the  Sun,  the  pigeon,  the  huge  serpents,  the  ocean,  the 
insect,  the  bee,  the  elephant,  the  collector  of  honey,  the  deer,  the  fish, 
Pingala,  the  osprey,  the  child,  the  maid,  the  maker  of  arrows,  the 
serpent,  the  spider  and  the  wasp.  These  are  my  twenty  four  Gurus. 

Though  oppressed  by  the  elements,  the  Earth  does  not  deviate 
from  her  path,  as  she  knows  that  they  are  only  guided  by  the  divine 
law.  This  forbearance  I  have  learned  from  the  Earth.  I  have  learned 
from  the  mountain  (which  is  a  part  of  the  Earth)  that  all  our  desires 
should  be  for  the  good  of  others  and  that  our  very  existence  is  for 
others  and  not  for  self.  I  have  learned  entire  subordination  to  other's 
interests  from  the  trees  (also  part  of  the  Earth). 

*  I  have  learned  from  the  vital  air,  that  one  should  be  content 
only  with  such  things  as  keep  up  the  life  and  should  not  care  about 
the  objects  of  the  senses.  (^The  sage  should  keep  up  his  life  so  that 
his  mind  be  not  put  out  of  order  and  his  mental  acquisitions  lost  ; 
but  at  the  same  time  he  should  not  be  attached  to  the  objects  of  the 
senses,  so  that  his  speech  and  mind  be  not  disturbed.) 

Though  placed  in  the  midst  of  the  objects  with  different  attri 
butes,  the  Yogi  should  not  be  attached  to  them.  This  I  have  learned 
from  the  outside  air.  The  soul  enters  the  body  and  the  bodily  attri 
butes  seem  its  own,  but  it  is  not  so.  The  air  is  charged  with  smell, 
but  the  smell  is  no  attribute  of  air. 

AtmA.  is  all  pervading  and  it  is  not  affected  by  the  body  and 
bodily  attributes.  This  I  have  learned  from  AkSsa  which,  though  all 
pervading,  seems  to  be  conditioned  by  clouds  and  other  objects. 

Transparency,  agreeability  and  sweetness,  I  have  learned  from 
water.  The  sage  purifies  others  like  wajter. 

Powerful  in  knowledge  and  glowing  with  asceticism,  the  sage 
receiving  all  things  docs  not  take  their  impurities  even  as  fire. 


[    375    ] 

Fire  eats  the  sacrificial  ghee  when  offered  to  it  and  consumes 
the  sins  of  the  offerer.  The  sage  eats  the  food  offered  to  him  by  others 
but  he  burns  up  their  past  and  future  impurities. 

Fire  is  one  though  it  enters  fuels  of  various  sorts. 

One  Atm&  pervades  all  beings,  however  different  they  may 
appear  by  the  action  of  Avidya. 

Birth,  death,  and  other  affections  are  states  of  the  body,  not  of 
Atma.  The  moon  looks  full,  diminished  and  gone,  though  it  is  the 
same  in  all  these  states. 

The  sun  draws  water  by  its  rays  and  gives  it  all  away  in  time. 
The  sage  takes  in  order  to  give,  and  not  in  order  to  add  to  his  own 
possessions. 

The  sun  i effected  on  different  surfaces  appears  to  the  ignorant 
as  many  and  various.  The  Atma  in  different  bodies,  even  appears 
as  such. 

Too  much  attachment  is  bad.  This  I  have  learned  from  a  pair 
of  pigeons.  They  lived  in  a  forest.  One  day  they  left  their  young  ones 
in  the  nest  and  went  about  in  search  of  food  for  them.  When  they 
returned  they  found  the  young  ones  netted  by  a  hunter.  The  mother 
had  too  much  affection  for  the  young  ones.  She  fell  into  the  net  of  her 
own  accord.  The  father  also  followed  suit  and  the  hunter  was  pleased 
to  have  them  all  without  any  exertion  of  his  own. 

The  huge  Ajagara  serpent  remains  where  he  is  and  is  content 
with  whatever  food  comes  to  him. 

The  sage  is  calm  and  deep,  not  to  be  fathomed  or  measured. 
He  is  limitless  (as  the  unconditioned  self  is  manifested  in  him).  He  is 
not  to  be  disturbed  even  like  the  tranquil  ocean.  The  ocean  may  re 
ceive  volumes  of  water  from  the  rivers  at  times  or  may  receive  no 
water  at  other  times.  But  it  remains  the  same,  even  as  the  sage  at 
all  times. 

He  who  is  tempted  by  woman  is  destroyed  like  an  insect  falling 
into  fire. 

The  bee  takes  a  little  from  every  flower.  The  Sanyasi  should 
take  only  a  little  from  each  Grihastha,  so  that  the  Grihastha  may 
not  suffer. 

» 

The  bee  extracts  honey  from  all  flowers  big  or  small.  The 
Sage  should  extract  wisdom  from  all  S^stras  big  or  small.  Do  not 
store  anything  for  the  evening  or  for  the  morrow.  Have  only  so  much 


r  376  ] 

for  your  bhikshti  (alms  given   to  a  Sanyasi)  as  may  suffice  for  one 
meal.     The  bee  is  killed  for  his  storing. 

The  Bhikshu  shall  not  touch  a  woman  though  made  of  wood, 
even  with  his  feet.  The  elephant  is  shewn  a  female  and  is  drawn 
into  a  trap.  The  woman  is  the  death  of  the  sage.  He  should  never 
approach  her.  The  elephant  seeking  a  female  is  killed  by  stronger 
elephants. 

The  miser  neither  gives  nor  enjoys  his  riches.  What  ever  he 
collects  with  difficulty  is  carried  away  by  some  one  else.  The  collec 
tor  of  honey  carries  away  the  honey  collected  by  others.  He  does 
not  make  it  by  his  own  effort.  The  Sany£s!  without  any  effort  of 
his  own  gets  food  from  the  Grihasthas,  as  it  is  their  duty  to  feed  him. 

Do  not  hear  vulgar  songs.  The  deer  is  attracted  by  songs  and 
is  entrapped. 

The  love  of  taste  is  to  be  conquered  above  all,  for  it  is  most 
difficult  to  conquer.  When  the  sense  of  taste  is  controlled,  all  other 
senses  are  controlled.  The  fish  is  killed  when  tempted  by  the  bait. 

Pingla,  a  courtezan  of  Videha  waited  the  whole  day  for  some 
lover  who  might  come  and  make  presents  to  her,  with  breathless 
expectation.  The  night  approached  and  she  grew  restless  She  then 
thought  within  herself : — "  For  what  a  trifle,  am  I  so  uneasy.  Why 
not  seek  Isvara,  the  eternal  giver  of  all  pleasures  and  all  desires." 
She  gave  up  all  hopes  and  expectations  that  troubled  her  ere  long  and 
became  happy.  She  had  good  sleep  in  the  night.  It  is  hope  that 
gives  us  trouble.  Without  hope  we  are  happy. 

When  the  bird  kurara  (osprey)  gets  some  flesh  to  eat,  the 
stronger  birds  kill  him.  He  is  happy  when  he  renounces  the  flesh. 
Renunciation  of  dear  objects  is  good  for  the  sage. 

The  child  has  no  sense  of  honor  or  dis-honor.  It  has  not  the 
thoughts  of  a  man  of  the  world.  It  is  self  content  and  it  plays  with 
self.  I  roam  about  like  the  child.  The  child  is  however  ignorant, 
but  the  sage  crosses  the  limits  of  the  Gunas. 

Some  people  came  to  select  a  bride.  The  maid  was  alone  in 
the  house.  She  received  the  men  who  came.  She  went  to  a  solilary 
place  to  beat  off  the  impurities  of  the  rice  for  their  meal.  She  had 
shell-made  bracelets  on  her  wrists.  These  made  a  great  noise.  She 
felt  disgust  and  broke  the  bracelets  one  by  one,  till  only  one 
remained  on  each  hand.  When  there  are  two  or  more  at  one  place, 
they  cause  a  jarring  sound,  and  they  quarrel.  I  have  therefore  earned 
solitariness  from  tjie  maid. 


[    377    1 

I  have  learned  concentration  of  mind  from  the  maker  of 
arrows. 

The  serpent  has  no  home.     It  roams  in  solitude.     So  do  I. 

Narayana  draws  in  the  whole  creation  at  the  end  of  the  Kalpa 
and  becomes  one,  the  resort  of  all. 

By  Kala  Sakti,  the  thread,  Mahat,  first  comes  out  and  the  uni 
verse  is  again  brought  into  manifestation.  The  spider  brings  the 
thread  out  of  himself,  spreads  out  the  web  and  devours  it  himself. 

(There  is  a  kind  of  wasp,  which  catches  a  particular  insect  and 
carries  it  into  a  hole.  It  is  supposed  that  the  insect  assumes  the 
form  of  the  wasp  through  fear.)  When  either  through  affection, 
hatred,  or  fear,  a  man  throws  his  whole  heart  upon  some  object  and 
the  mind  holds  it  fast,  he  attains  the  form  of  that  object  I  have 
learned  this  from  the  wasp. 

Thus  I  have  learned  from  my  Gurus.  My  own  body  is  also  my 
Guru.  -I  have  learned  from  it  dispassion  and  discrimination.  The 
body  is  born  only  to  die.  Constant  misery  is  its  lot.  I  know  the 
truths,  by  a  discriminative  study  of  the  body.  Still  I  regard  it  as  not 
mine  and  so  I  feel  no  attachment  for  it  (The  body  belongs  to  the 
dogs  and  jackals  who  devour  it  after  death.  Sridhara.) 

What  does  not  a  man  do  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  body — but 
it  comes  to  an  end  after  all,  having  created  the  germs  of  another  body. 

The  possessor  of  the  body  is  now  drawn  away  by  this  sense, 
now  by  that  sense,  now  by  this  action  now  by  that  action.  The  senses 
suck  his  very  life  blood,  even  as  the  many  wives  of  one  husband. 

The  Lord  created  vegetable  and  animal  bodies.  But  he  was 
not  satisfied  with  them.  For  the  human  body  only  has  the  power  to 
perceive  Brahman. 

Therefore  after  many  births,  when  the  human  body  is  once 
attained,  one  should  strive  promptly  for  his  supreme  bliss. 

Yadu  heard  these  words  of  wisdom,  and  he  gave  up  all  at 
tachments, 

ATMA— A  REFUTATION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  OF  JAIMINL 
SKANDHA  XL  CHAP.  10. 

Sri  Krishna  continued  < — 

(Self-study  is  the  first  stage.  It  leads  to  the  power  of  discri 
mination.  Without  self  study  no  progress  is  possible.  There fo/e 

48 


[     378     ] 

Sri  Krishna  speaks  of  it  as  an  essential  condition.     He  then   goes   on 
to  the  next  stage  of  preparation.) 

Subject  to  what  I  have  said  as  to  one's  own  duties  (in  Pancha 
Ratra  and  other  Vaishnava  works  ;  Sridkara]  and  knowing  me  to  be 
the  final  resoit,  you  should  dispassionately  follow  the  Varna-Asrama 
and  family  duties.  (But  how  is  dispassion  possible?)  With  the  mind 
purified  by  the  performance  of  duties,  reflect  on  this  that  worldly 
men  take  up  things,  thinking  them  to  be  real  but  the  end  shews  that 
they  are  not  so. 

Objects  of  desire  are  unreal,  as  their  perception  as  separate 
entities  is  caused  by  the  senses  and  they  are  altogether  sense-made. 
Even  they  are  as  unreal  as  dreams  and  fancy,  both  caused  by  the 
mind. 

(Actions  are  fourfold,  (i)  those  that  have  the  fulfilment  of  selfish 
desires  for  their  object  or  Kamya  Karma,  (2)  those  that  are  prohibit 
ed  by  the  Scriptures  or  Nishiddha  Karma,  (3)  those  that  are  required 
to  be  daily  performed  or  Nitya  Karma,  (4)  those  that  are  required  to 
be  performed  on  certain  occasions  or  Naimittika. 

The  first  two  are  Pravritta  or  selfish  Karma.  The  last  two 
are  Nivritta  or  unselfish  Karma.  The  Smritis  say  that  those  who 
want  Moksha  or  liberation  must  not  perform  Pravritta  Karma.  But 
they  should  perform  Nitya  and  Naimittika  Karma,  as  their  non-perfor 
mance  might  give  rise  to  obstacles.)  Perform  Nivritta  Karma  and 
being  devoted  to  Me,  give  up  all  Pravritta  Karma.  But  when  you 
fully  enter  the  path  of  wisdom,  then  you  need  not  care  much  even  for 
Nivritta  Karma.  Constantly  practise  Yama.  Being  fixed  on  Me, 
you  may  sometimes  practise  Niyama  (Yama  and  Niyama  are  detailed 
in  the  iQth  chapter.) 

Devotedly  follow  one  Guru,  who  knows  Me  and  is  full  of  Me, 
being  calm  and  quiet  at  heart. 

Be  humble  and  unenvious,  active,  free  from  the  sense  of 
"  Mineness  ",  strong  in  friendship  (towards  the  Guru,  Sridhara),  not 
over-zealous,  eager  to  know  the  truths  and  free  from  malice.  Do  not 
indulge  in  idle  talk.  Be  indifferent  to  wife,  son,  house,  land,  relations, 
riches  and  all  other  things,  for  Atm&  is  the  same  every  where  and  its 
working  is  the  same  in  all  bodies. 

This  Atma  is  neither  the  gross  body  nor  the  subtle  body.  It 
13  the  self  illumined  seer.  Fire  that  illuminates  and  burns  is  separate 
from  the  fuel  that  is  illuminated  and  burnt. 


[    379    ] 

The  fuel  has  begining  and  end.  It  is  big  and  small.  It  is  of  various 
kinds.  The  fire  that  pervades  it  is  limited  by  the  nature  of  the  fuel. 
So  Atma  which  is  separate  from  the  body  bears  the  attributes  of  the 
body. 

The  birth  and  re-birth  of  the  Jiva  have  their  brigin  in  the 
gross  and  the  subtle  body,  which  are  the  outcome  of  the  Gunas, 
subordinated  by  fsvara.  The  knowledge  of  Atma  (as  separate  from 
the  body)  cuts  off  the  course  of  rebirths. 

Therefore  by  seeking  after  knowledge  fully  realise  that  Atma 
in  self  is  separate  and  is  beyond  the  body.  Then  by  degrees 
do  away  with  a  sense  of  reality  in  respect  of  the  gross  and  the 
subtle  body. 

The  preceptor  is  the  lower  piece  of  wood  used  for  kindling  the 
sacred  fire.  The  pupil  is  the  upper  piece  of  wood.  The  teachings 
form  the  middle  portion  of  the  wood  where  the  stroke  is  made.  Vidya 
is  the  pleasing  fire  that  comes  out.  (The  pupil  by  constant  question 
ing  should  extract  the  fire  of  wisdom  from  the  Guru  i.e.  one  should 
learn  Atma  Vidya  from  his  Guru.) 

The  pure  wisdom  that  is  thus  acquired  from  the  Guru  shakes 
off"  the  Maya  that  is  begotten  of  the  Gunas.  It  burns  up  the  Gunas 
themselves,  which  constitute  this  universe  of  re-incarnation  and  then 
it  ceases  of  itself.  The  fire  consumes  the  fuel  first  and  then  it  is 
extinguished  of  itself. 

Or  if  you  think  that  the  doers  of  actions,  their  pleasures  and 
pains,  the  enjoyers  and  sufTerers  (Jivatmas  or  Egos)  are  many  and 
that  the  place  and  time  of  enjoyment  and  suffering,  and  the  scriptures 
relating  thereto  and  to  the  enjoyer  or  sufferer  are  all  alike  not  constant. 

(We  have  found  in  the  former  ^slokas  that  Atma  is  one  and 
constant.  It  is  self  manifest  and  it  is  conciousness  itself.  When  we 
speak  of  Atma  as  the  Doer,  the  Enjoyer  and  so  on  these  attributes 
really  relate  to  the  body  which  forms  the  phenomenal  basis  of  Atma. 
Every  thing  else  besides  Atma  is  transitory  and  formed  of  Maya.  It 
has  been  therefore  said  that  one  should  free  himself  from  all  attach 
ments  and  should  attain  liberation  by  the  knowledge  of  Atma.  This 
is  the  conclusion  arrived  at  by  a  reconciliation  of  all  the  Srutis.  But 
there  is  another  school,  that  of  Jaimini,  which  arrives  at  a  different 
conclusion.  To  remove  all  doubts  whatsoever,  the  author  refers  to  it 
for  the  sake  of  refutation.  The  followers  of  Jaimini  deem  Jivatmas — 
the  doers  and  enjoyers  in  all  beings  to  be  essentially  separate  and 
many.  According  to  them,  Atm£  is  known  by  the  feeling  of  "  I 


t 

ness."  Now  this  feeling  is  different  in  different  bodies.  "  I  am  the 
doer"  "  I  am  the  enjoyer"  every  one  feels  this  separately  for  himself. 
There  is  no  one  Parmatma,  which  is  the  essence  of  all  these  Jivatmas 
and  which  is  above  all  transformations.  Therefore  freedom  from 
attachments  or  dispassion  is  not  possible.  You  may  think,  that  the  en 
joyments  are  transitory,  and  so  also  that  the  time  and  place  of  enjoy 
ment,  the  scriptures  that  enjoin  them,  and  the  enjoying  Atma  itself 
are  not  constant.  Hence  you  may  justify  dispassion.  But  all  this  is 
not  a  fact.  This  is  the  argument  of  the  followers  of  Jaimini. 
Sridhara) 

And  if  you  consider  that  all  substances  are  constant  by  the 
eternal  flow  of  their  existence  and  that  consciousness  grows  and  is 
separate  according  to  the  difference  in  every  particular  form. 
(According  to  the  followers  of  Jaimini  there  is  no  break  in  the  objects 
of  enjoyment  nor  are  they  formed  of  Maya.  All  substances  per 
petually  exist  by  the  constancy  of  their  flow.  They  say  that  there 
was  no  time,  when  the  Universe  was  not  what  it  is.  Therefore  there 
is  no  maker  of  the  Universe,  no  Isvara.  And  the  Universe  is 
not  a  delusion-Maya.  It  is  what  it  appears  to  be.  There  is 
no  one  and  constant  consciousness  of  which  the  essence  is  Atma. 
"  This  pot "  "  this  cloth  " — Our  consciousness  grows  by  the  process 
of  perceiving  these  differences.  Therefore  consciousness  is  not 
constant  and  it  has  separate  forms.  The  hidden  purport  is  this. 
Atm&  is  not  absolute  consciousness  itself,  but  it  is  transformed  into 
consciousness.  But  you  can  not  say,  because  it  is  subject  to  trans 
formation,  therefore  it  is  transient.  For  it  has  been  said  authorita 
tively  that  its  transformation  into  consciousness  does  not  interfere 
with  its  eternity.  Therefore  for  the  purpose  of  liberation  (Mukti), 
Atm&  can  not  transform  itself  without  the  help  of  the  senses  &c. 
And  if  Atma  attains  liberation,  in  the  state  of  jada  (or  unconscious 
ness)  nothing  is  gained.  Therefore  the  best  path  to  follow  is  that  of 
Pravritti  or  Inclination  and  not  that  of  Nivritti  or  Disinclination. 
Stidhara.  The  above  commentaries  of  Sridhara  form  one  of  the 
best  expositions  of  the  philosophy  of  Jaimini.  Only  the  last  passage 
requires  a  little  elucidation.  Atma  in  itself  is  not  consciousness.  Its 
transformation  into  consciousness  is  its  highest  evolution  or  Mukti. 
Now  this  transformation  is  caused  by  the  perception  of  objects,  it  is 
made  complete  by  the  perception  of  all  objects  and  it  is  made  constant 
by  a  constant  desire  for  all  objects.  This  object,  or  that  object  may 
vanish,  this  man  or  that  woman  may  die,  this  flower  or  that  flower 
may  perish,  but  there  is  no  time  when  the  objects  as  a  class  do  not 


t  381  ] 

exist,  when  there  is  no  enjoyer,  no  object  to  be  enjoyed.  So  there 
is  a  constancy  in  the  desires.  Therefore  one  must  form  attachments, 
have  desires,  that  Atmd  be  made  fully  conscious.  But  if  Atmd  be 
left  to  itself,  it  will  remain  Jada  or  unconscious.  There  is  nothing 
to  be  gained  by  this.  Therefore  one  should  persisteQtly  follow  the 
path  of  desires  as  'laid  down  in  the  Karma  Kanda  of  the  Vedas, 
analysed  by  Jaimint  in  his  PQrva  Mimansa.  One  should  not  give 
up  Vedic  Karma  and  selfish  desires  as  he  is  taught  to  do  in  the 
Jnana  Kanda  of  the  Vedas,  the  Upanishads,  as  analysed  by  Vyasa 
in  his  Uttara  Mimansa,  and  as  expounded  by  Sri  Krishna  in  the 
Bhagavat  Gita.  It  must  be  remembered  that  this  philosophy  of 
Karma,  so  effectually  refuted  by  Sri  Krishna,  was  suited  to  the  mate 
rialistic  cycle  of  evolution,  when  Rajas  had  to  be  sought  rather  than 
put  down.  The  minerals  and  vegetables  were  unconscious.  The 
animals  shewed  a  slight  development  in  consciousness.  But  the  full 
development  was  in  Man.  And  this  was  due  to  the  pursuit  of  the 
Path  of  Inclination  or  Pravritti  Marga  up  to  a  late  period  in  the 
past  history  of  the  Universe.  Notwithstanding  the  attacks  of  Sri 
Krishna,  the  school  of  Jaimini  had  its  followers  till  the  time  of  Sri 
Sankaracharya,  when  Mandana  Misra  the  most  learned  Pandit  of  the 
time,  was  its  chief  exponent.  After  his  memorable  defeat  by  Sri 
Sankaracharya  the  Mimansakas  fell  into  disrepute  and  Vedic  Karma 
became  a  thing  of  the  past.) 

Granting  all  that,  O  dear  Uddhava,  all  Atmas  have  constantly 
their  births  and  other  states,  by  connection  with  the  body  and  by 
reason  of  the  divisions  of  time  (/.  e.  though  you  may  say  that  AtmA 
itself  is  transformed,  still  you  can  not  deny  that  the  transformations 
take  place  by  its  connection  with  the  body  and  that  they  are  brought 
about  by  time.) 

It  follows  then  that  the  doer  of  actions,  the  enjoyer  of  joys 
and  the  sufferer  of  sorrows  is  dependent  on  other  things.  (For  Atma 
is  dependent  upon  the  body  and  upon  time  for  its  highest  transfor 
mation.  Sridhara  says  if  Atma  is  the  doer  and  enjoyer,  why  should 
it  do  wrong  acts  and  suffer  sorrows  if  it  were  independent.  There 
fore  Atma  must  be  dependent  according  to  the  Mimansakas).  Now 
who  in  seeking  his  greatest  good  would  worship  one  that  is  depen 
dent  on  others  ? 

(Do  not  say  that  those  who  kno\v  Vedic  karma  thoroughly 
are  always  happy  and  only  those  that  do  not  know  that  are 
unhappy.  For  it  is  found  that — Sridhara)  even  wise  men  sometimes 
have  no  happiness  and  the  ignorant  have  no  misery.  Therefore  it  is 


[    382    ] 

mere  vanity  (to  speak  about  Karma).  Even  if  (the  followers  of  the 
path  of  Fravritti)  know  how  to  gain  happiness  and  destroy  misery, 
they  certainly  do  not  know  the  means  by  which  they  can  get  over 
death.  And  when  death  is  near  at  hand,  what  objects  of  desire  can 
give  joy  ?  What  can  please  the  victim  that  is  carried  to  the  place 
of  sacrifice  ?  (This  is  so  far  as  this  life  is  concerned.  Then  as  to  life 
after  death).  What  you  hear  about  Svarga  life,  even  that  is  as  bad 
as  the  life  we  lead  on  this  earth.  For  in  Svarga,  there  is  jealousy, 
there  is  fault  finding,  there  are  inequalities  and  consequent  uneasi 
ness,  and  there  is  a  finality  In  the  enjoyments  and  the  desires  are 
full  of  obstacles,  even  as  agriculture  is  and  so  after  all  even  Svarga 
is  of  no  good.  When  the  Vedic  Karma  is  properly  performed  with 
out  any  obstacle  whatsoever,  hear  how  the  performer  of  Karma 
loses  the  place  acquired  by  his  Karma.  He  makes  offerings  to  Indra 
and  other  Devas  by  the  performance  of  Yajna  and  he  goes  after 
death  to  Svarga.  There  he  enjoys  heavenly  objects  like  the  Devas, 
objects  acquired  by  his  own  Karma.  He  moves  in  white  chariots 
the  acquisitions  of  his  own  merits,  among  Deva  girls  and  is  adored 
by  the  Gandharvas.  The  chariot  moves  at  his  will.  It  Is  adorned  by 
small  bells.  He  whiles  away  his  time  with  the  Deva  girls  In  the 
gardens  of  Svarga  and  he  does  not  know  his  own  fall.  But  he 
remains  in  Svarga  only  so  long  as  his  merit  is  not  exhausted.  And 
when  the  merit  is  run  out,  down  falls  the  man  by  the  force  of  time, 
even  against  his  will.  (The  above  is  the  course  after  death  of  those 
who  perform  Kamya  Karma,  according  to  Vedic  rules.  This  Is  one 
way  of  following  Pravritti  Marga.  There  is  another  way — the  following 
up  of  one's  own  inclinations,  in  disregard  of  the  Vedic  rules.  The 
next  Sloka  refers  to  the  performers  of  prohibited  Karma).  And  if 
again  a  man  indulges  in  the  prohibited  acts,  through  evil  company, 
if  his  senses  are  not  controlled,  and  if  in  consequence,  he  is  passionate 
indiscriminate,  greedy,  excessively  fond  of  women,  and  unkind  to 
other  beings,  if  the  man  kills  animals  wantonly  and  worships  Pretas 
and  Bhutas,  he  goes,  driven  by  the  law,  to  the  Narakas  and  finds 
there  intense  Tamas. 

Therefore  karma  (selfish  actions)  ends  in  unhappiness.  By 
performing  karma  with  the  body,  men  seek  the  body  again.  What 
happiness  is  there  in  the  possession  of  this  transitory  body  ?  The  Lokas 
and  Lokapalas  have  to  fear  me,  they  who  live  for  one  full  day  of 
Brahma.  Even  Brahma  who  lives  for  2  Parardhas  has  fear  of  me. 

(Therefore  Pravritti  Marga  leads  to  evil.  It  should  be  shunned  and 
Nivritti  Marga  should  be  adopted.  This  is  the  purport.  Sridhani}. 


f  383  ] 

(Now  Sri  Krishna  goes  on  to  refute  the  first  two  assumptions 
(i)  that  Atma  is  the  doer  and  (2)  that  Atma  is  the  enjoyer).  The 
Gunas  create  actions  and  the  Gunas  lead  the  Gunas.  (The  Gunas 
are  Satva,  Rajas  and  Tamas.  These  prim  il  attributes  of  Prakriti 
give  rise  to  all  her  manifestations.  The  Indriyas,  the  senses,  and  the 
mind  are  Satvic  and  Rajasic  transformations  of  the  Ahankara  mani 
festation  of  Prakriti.  So  they  are  the  Gunas  first  referred  to.  The 
senses  and  the  mind  create  actions.  Our  actions  are  all  prompted  by 
them  and  not  by  Atma.  So  Atma  is  not  the  doer.  It  may  be  said 
however  that  the  senses  and  the  mind  are  guided  by  Atma.  But  it 
is  not  so.  The  primal  attributes  (Gunas)  lead  the  senses  and  the  mind 
(Gunas).  If  Satva  prevails  in  a  man  his  actions  are  Satvic  and  so  on. 
It  is  the  nature  of  the  Prakritic  transformations  of  a  man  that  deter 
mines  his  actions.  This  is  only  an  elaboration  of  Sridhara's  notes.) 

The  Jiva  enjoys  the  fruits  of  Karma,  being  connected  with  the 
Gunas  (The  enjoyment  by  Jiva  is  also  due  to  its  phenomenal  basis. 
"  Connected  with  the  Gunas  "  /.  e.  connected  with  the  senses  and  other 
Prakritic  elements.  Jivatma  dwells  in  the  body.  When  the  house 
falls  down,  he  occupies  another  house.  When  the  houses  are  merely 
halting  stations  in  his  long  journey,  he  does  not  care  much  for  the 
house  itself,  he  does  not  identify  himself  with  the  house.  So  when 
Jivatm&  becomes  indifferent  to  the  body,  it  is  not  affected  by  the 
changes  of  the  body.  When  a  house  burns,  the  dweller  in  the  house 
feels  pain.  When  the  house  is  comfortable,  the  dweller  in  the  house 
feels  pleasure.  His  connection  with  the  house  is  however  temporary.) 

As  long  as  there  is  difference  in  the  Gunas  (i.  e.  Guna  trans 
formations,  Ahankara  &c.),  so  long  there  is  plurality  in  Atma.  As 
long  as  there  is  plurality  so  long  is  it  dependent  on  others.  (The  differ 
ence  in  Jivatmas  or  individuals,  is  not  due  to  any  difference  in  Atma, 
but  to  differences  in  the  Guna  transformations  which  give  rise  to  the 
body.  Dependence  is  also  an  accompaniment  of  those  transformations), 

So  long  as  Jiva  is  dependent  on  others  it  has  fear  from  Isvara. 
Those  that  worship  the  Guna  transformations  are  given  up  to  sorrow 
and  they  become  deluded. 


BONDAGE  AND  LIBERATION. 
SKANDHA  XL  CHAP.  u. 

Uddhava  asked  :  — 

Atma  dwells  in  the  transformations  of  the  Gunas  forming  the 
body.  Why  should  it  not  be  bound  down  by  the  Gunas.  Or  if  Atma  is 
free  (like  Akasa)  why  should  it  be  at  all  in  bondage  ?  What  are  the  in- 


[     3*4     ] 

dications  of  Atm&  in  bondage  and  of  liberated  Atma?  Is  Atma  ever 
in  bondage  (for  connection  with  the  Gunas  is  eternal,  Sridhara)  or 
ever  in  liberation  (for  if  liberation  is  a  state  to  be  acquired,  Atma  can 
not  be  permanent.  Stidhaia) 

Sri  Krishna  replied  : — 

Bondage  and  liberation  are  terms  applied  to  Me  not  with 
reference  to  my  real  self,  but  with  reference  to  My  Gunas  (the  Guna 
limitations,  Satva,  Rajas  and  Tamas  that  are  subordinate  to  me,  Sri- 
dhara).  The  Gunas  have  their  origin  in  Maya.  Therefore  I  have 
neither  liberation  nor  bondage. 

Sorrow  and  delusion,  joy  and  grief,  even  the  attainment  of 
body — these  are  all  due  to  Maya.  The  dream  is  only  an  illusory 
form  of  the  mind,  even  so  the  course  of  births  is  not  real.  Vidya  and 
Avidya  both  proceed  from  My  Maya,  O  Uddhava.  I  am  one 
and  the  Jiva  is  only  my  part  (as  the  ray  is  of  the  sun).  The  bondage 
of  Jiva  is  caused  by  Avidya  and  its  liberation  by  Vidya.  This  is 
eternally  so.  Now  I  shall  tell  you  the  different  indications  of  the 
imprisoned  and  the  liberated  Jiva.  (The  difference  is  twofold  :  that 
between  Jiva  and  fsvara  and  that  amongst  the  Jivas  themselves.  The 
author  first  speaks  of  the  former.  Sridkam.)  Jiva  and  tsvara  though 
of  different  attributes  dwell  in  the  same  body.  They  are  two  birds 
like  each  other  (for  both  are  manifestations  of  conciousness),  com 
panions  that  have  made  a  nest  for  themselves  (the  heart),  in  the  tree 
of  body,  of  their  own  free  will. 

Of  these  one  (the  Jiva)  eats  the  fruits  of  the  tree.  The  other 
(Isvara)  though  not  a  partaker  of  the  fruits  is  the  mightier  of  the  two. 
For  He  who  does  not  partake  of  the  fruits  is  the  knower  of  self 
as  of  others.  But  the  partaker  of  fruits  is  not  so.  He  (Jiva)  who  is 
joined  with  Avidya  is  always  imprisoned.  He  (Isvara)  who  is  joined 
with  Vidya  is  always  liberated.  (Maya  of  Isvara  or  Vidya  does  not 
throw  a  veil  round  and  does  not  delude).  The  "  conscious"  are  two  in 
every  individual.  The  consciousness  of  fsvara  is  universal.  Jivatma 
however  takes  upon  himself  the  limitations  of  individuality  and  be 
comes  the  conscious  centre  in  every  man.  "  I  perceive"  "  I  conceive" 
"  I  do,"  that  "  I  "  is  Atma  limited  by  the  sense  of  individuality.  The 
perception  and  conceptions  are  of  Jivatma  and  he  is  the  partaker  of 
the  fruits.  This  "Jiva"  element  in  an  individual  is  in  bondage.  But 
the  Isvara  element  in  him  is  always  liberated.  And  Jiva  becomes 
liberated,  when  the  individual  limitation  is  withdrawn). 

(Now  the  difference  amongst  Jivas  liberated  and  imprisoned). 


[    335     ] 

The  liberated  (Jiva)  though  dwelling  in  the  body  does  not 
dwell  in  it  as  it  were,  even  like  one  aroused  from  dream.  (The 
awakened  man  remembers  his  dream  l>ody,  but  realises  it  as  unreal. 
So  the  liberated  Jiva  looks  upon  his  body  as  unreal  or  a  temporary 
halting  station,  not  a  part  of  his  own  self).  The  ignorant  identifies 
himself  with  the  body,  like  the  man  in  dream. 

The  senses  perceive  the  objects  of  the  senses.  The  Gunas 
perceive  the  Gunas.  The  wise  (Jiva)  does  not  identify  self  with  these. 
He  is  therefore  not  distracted. 

The  ignorant,  however,  while  dwelling  in  this  body  brought 
about  by  prior  Karma,  in  which  the  senses  act,  thinks  that  he  is  the 
doer  and  becomes  thus  bound  down. 

The  wise  one  sees  with  disgust  that  the  actions  of  others  bind 
him.  Sleeping,  sitting,  walking  or  bathing,  seeing,  touching,  smelling, 
eating  or  hearing,  the  wise  (Jiva)  does  not  bind  himself  like  the  ignor 
ant,  for  in  those  acts,  he  realises  that  the  Gunas  (senses)  perceive  (and 
not  his  self).  He  dwells  in  the  body,  but  is  not  attached  to  it,  like 
the  Akasa,  the  sun  and  the  air.  (Space  is  in  all  things,  but  the  things 
form  no  part  of  space.  The  sun  becomes  reflected  in  water,  but  is 
not  attached  to  water.  The  air  moves  about  all  around,  but  does 
not  become  attached  to  any  thing).  By  the  force  of  dispassion,  the 
vision  becomes  clear.  All  doubts  are  removed.  And  the  wise  (Jiva) 
rises  as  it  were  from  sleep,  and  withdraws  himself  from  the  diversities 
(of  body  and  other  material  objects). 

The  Jiva  whose  Pranas,  Indriyas,  Manas  and  Buddhi  function 
without  the  promptings  of  self-centred  desires  is  freed  from  the  attri 
butes  of  the  body  though  dwelling  in  the  body. 

Whether  injured  by  others  or  adored  the  liberated  Jiva  is  not 
affected  in  the  least.  He  neither  praises  nor  blames  others  for  their 
good  or  bad  deeds  or  words.  He  knows  no  merits  nor  demerits.  He 
looks  on  all  with  an  equal  eye.  He  does  not  do  anything,  he  does 
not  say  anything,  he  does  not  think  on  any  thing,  good  or  bad.  He  is 
self-entranced  and  moves  like  a  sense-less  being  (Jada). 

If  a  man  well-versed  in  the  Vedas  is  not  fixed  in  the  Supreme, 
his  labour  becomes  fruitless  like  that  of  a  man  who  keeps  a  breeding 
cow  that  bears  no  calf.  A  cow  that  does  not  give  milk,  an  unchaste 
wife,  a  body  that  is  under  the  control  of  others,  an  undutiful  son, 
wealth  that  is  not  given  to  the  deserving  and  words  that  do  not 
relate  to  me  :  he  only  keeps  these  whose  lot  is  misery. 
49 


[     386     ] 

With  discrimination  such  as  this  do  away  with  the  notion  of 
diversity  in  self.  Then  fix  your  purified  mind  in  Me,  who  am  all 
pervading,  and  desist  from  everything  else. 

If  you  can  not  fix  your  mind  in  Me,  then  offer  up  all  your 
actions  unconditionally  to  Me.  Hear  with  faith  the  words  that  relate 
to  Me.  Sing  of  Me,  meditate  on  my  deeds  and  Incarnations. 
Imitate  these.  Whatever  you  do,  do  that  for  Me.  Then  will  be 
gained,  O  Uddhava,  fixed  devotion  to  Me.  That  devotion  (Bhakti) 
is  to  be  acquired  in  the  company  of  Sadhus : 

SADHU  AND  BHAKTI. 
SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  11-12. 

Uddhava  asked  : — 

Who  according  to  Thee  is    a    S&dhu  ?    What   sort    of  Bhakti 
(devotion)  may  be  offered  to  Thee  ? 
Sri  Krishna  replied  •, — 

Compassionate,  harmless,  forgiving,  firm  in  truth,  faultless, 
impartial,  doing  good  to  all,  undisturbed  by  desires,  self  restrained, 
mild,  pure,  not  asking  for  anything,  indifferent,  temperate  in  eating 
with  controlled  mind,  steady  in  the  performance  of  duties,  seeking 
refuge  in  me,  given  to  meditation,  careful,  profound,  patient,  having 
control  over  the  six-fold  waves  (hunger,  thirst,  sorrow  and  delusion, 
infirmity  and  death),  not  seeking  respect1  from  others,  but  respecting 
others,  able,  friendly,  tender-hearted,  wise,  such  is  a  S^dhu.  He  who 
knowing  my  injunctions  and  prohibitions  in  the  performance  of  one's 
own  Dharma  or  duties  of  life,  even  gives  them  all  up  for  my  sake  is 
the  best  of  all  Sadhus.  Those  who  seek  me  and  nothing  else,  whether 
they  know  or  not  what  I  am,  are  the  best  of  My  Bhaktas. 

To  see,  touch  and  worship  My  symbols  and  my  votaries,  to 
serve  and  adore  them,  the  humble  recital  of  My  glory  and  of  My 
deeds,  Faith  in  hearing  words  about  Me,  constant  meditation  on  Me, 
the  offering  up  of  all  gains  to  Me,  even  the  offering  up  of  self  in  a 
spirit  of  service,  the  observance  of  the  sacred  days,  rejoicings  in  the 
houses  set  apart  for  Me  (all  good  Hindus  have  a  house  or  room  set 
apart  for  divine  worship),  initiation  according  to  the  Vedic  and  the 
Tantric  System  (one  who  is  initiated  is  to  recite  the  Mantras  a  certain 
number  of  times,  every  morning  and  evening  and  he  can  not  take 


[     387    ] 

his  meals  without  doing  so  in  the  morning)  to  observe  fasts,  enthu 
siasm  in  founding  My  image  for  worship,  and  in  founding  gardens, 
buildings  and  towns  (in  connection  with  My  worship)  humility  and 
silence  about  one's  own  good  deeds, — these  are  the  indications  of 
Bhakti. 

Sun,  Fire,  the  Brahmana,  the  Cow,  the  Vaishnava,  Akasa,  Air, 
Water,  Earth,  Atma,  and  all  beings — these  are  the  eleven  places  of 
my  worship. 

I  am  to  be  worshipped  in  the  Sun,  by  Vedic  Mantras,  in  the 
fire  by  sacrificial  Ghee,  in  the  Brahmana  by  hospitality,  in  the  cows 
by  the  offer  of  grass,  in  the  Vaishnava  by  friendly  treatment,  in 
the  Akasa  of  the  heart  cavity  by  meditation,  in  the  air  by  the  con 
templation  of  Prana,  in  the  water  by  offerings  of  libation  and  so 
forth,  in  the  Earth  by  secret  Mantras,  in  Atma  by  experiencing 
(Bhoga)  and  in  all  beings  by  equality. 

In  all  these  places  of  worship  I  am  to  be  meditated  on  as  with 
four  hands,  bearing  conch,  disc,  club  and  lotus. 

He  who  worships  Me  as  above  and  serves  the  Sadhus  acquires 
Devotion.  Except  by  devotion  that  is  acquired  in  the  company  of 
Sadhus,  there  is  hardly  any  other  way  of  liberation.  I  am  not  so  easily 
attainable  by  Yoga,  Sankhya,  Dharma,  the  reading  of  Scriptures, 
Tapas,  gifts,  charitable  acts,  fasts,  Yajnas,  the  Vedas,  resort  to  pilgri 
mage,  Niyamas  or  Yamas  as  by  the  company  of  Sadhus.  Even  those 
that  are  the  lowest  by  birth,  those  that  have  Rajas  and  Tamas  predo 
minant  in  them,  the  Daityas,  Asuras,  and  Rakshasas  attain  me  easily 
by  the  company  of  Sadhus.  The  Gopis  in  Vraja,  the  wives  of  the 
Vedic  Brahmanas  did  not  read  the  Vedas,  they  did  not  observe  fasts, 
they  did  not  perform  Tapas,  but  they  attained  Me,  through  the 
company  of  Sadhus.  Therefore  O  Uddhava  care  not  for  Srutis  or 
Smritis,  for  biddings  and  for  forbiddings.  Have  recourse  to  Me,  the 
Atma  of  all  beings,  with  all  devotion,  and  thou  shalt  have  no  fear 
from  any  quarter. 

(The  following   stages  are   to  be  marked  : — 

I. — Study  of  Nature  and  self  instruction. 

2. — Self  discrimination,  resuting  in  the  separation  of  the  cons 
cious  Atma  and  the  unconscious  Non-Atma. 

3. — The  understanding  of  what  is  bondage  and  liberation,  and 
the  relation  between  Jiva  Atma  and  Farama  Atma  (Isvara.) 


[     338     ] 

4. — The  liberating  process  during  which  the  rules  are  to  be 
observed,  sacrifices  to  be  made,  the  duties  of  life  to  be  performed  and 
active  good  done  to  all  beings.  During  this  process,  the  whole  nature 
of  the  man  becomes  one  of  universal  compassion  and  friendliness. 
Differences  vgnish.  Good  and  bad  become  all  alike. 

The  Jiva  rests  in  his  own  Atma,  which  is  the  Atma  of  all 
beings,  and  then  all  is  calm  and  quiet. 

5.  The  company  of  Sadhus. 

6.  Devotion  acquired  in  that  company. 

7.  When  Devotion  (Bhakti)  becomes  a  part  of  one's  nature 
then  the  giving  up  of  all  rules,  all  karma,  whether  pertaining  to  the 
Srutis  or  the  Smritis.) 


WHY  GIVE  UP  ALL  KARMA 
SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  12. 

This  Jiva-Isvara  becomes  manifest  in  the  cavities  (nerve- 
plexuses).  He  enters  the  cavity  (called  Adhara  or  prostatic  plexus) 
with  the  Prana  (energy)  of  sound  (called  Para).  He  passed  through 
subtle  mind-made  forms  (Pasyanti  and  Madhyama)  in  the  plexuses 
called  Manipura  or  Solar  and  Visuddhi  'or  laryngeal  and  at  last 
comes  out  as)  very  gross  (Sound  forms,  called  Vaikhari,  consisting 
of)  Matra  (Measures,  such  as  long,  short  &c),  Svara  (accents  known 
as  Udatta  or  high,  Anudatta  or  low  and  Svarita  or  mixed;  and  Varna 
the  (letters  of  the  alphabet,  ka,  kha  &c.) 

(The  ruling  idea  is  that  the  teachings  of  the  Vedas  and  the 
Smritis  are  conveyed  in  articulate  expressions  and  are  adapted  to 
planes  corresponding  to  articulation.  But  articulation  is  the  last  and 
grossest  expression  of  Divine  Sound  energy.  In  man  the  highest 
manifestation  of  sound  energy,  the  primal  voice,  the  divine  voice,  the 
first  Logos,  is  Para.  It  is  the  Light  which  manifests  the  whole  Uni 
verse.  In  that  highest  plane  of  manifestation  there  is  no  difference 
between  Light  and  Sound.  The  seat  of  this  Light  is  M Ola- Adhara 
Chakra. 

Coming  clown  the  line  of  material  manifestation,  this  Divine 
Light,  this  Par&  Voice,  become  Pasyanti  in  the  plane  of  causes,  of 
germ  thoughts,  of  root  ideas,  the  Karana  plane.  The  germs  are 
transmitted  in  Man  from  birth  to  birth  and  in  the  Universe  from 
kalpa  to  kalpa.  They  are  the  causes  of  the  subsequent  manifestations, 


[     389     1 

whether  individual  or  universal.     The  Para  voice  passing  through  the 
causal  plane,  becomes  the  root-ideas  or  germ  thoughts. 

In  the  next   plane,  the  Sukshma   plane,   the   voice   becomes   the 
thoughts  themselves  or  Madhyama. 

The  last  expression  of  the  Voice  is  the  articulate  expression, 
Vaikhari. 

The  Srutis  and  Smritis  as  written  or  spoken  belong  to  the 
plane  of  lowest  manifestation.  They  are  governed  by  the  root-ideas 
and  ideas  of  the  present  universe,  the  root-ideas  and  ideas  of  the 
Rishis  through  whom  they  are  manifested. 

When  you  seek  the  unmanifested  light  of  the  Logos,  the 
Divine  Voice,  or  only  the  first  manifestation  of  that  Voice,  what  care 
you  about  the  lower  manifestations,  the  Srutis  or  Smritis,  what  care 
you  about  karma  that  pertains  to  the  lower  planes?) 

In  Akasa,  fire  is  only  unmanifested  heat  (UshmarO.  It  is 
manifested  further  down  in  the  fuel.  By  friction  in  the  fuel,  it  be 
comes  a  spark.  Kindled  by  Ghee>  it  becomes  a  flame.  Such  is 
my  manifestation  also  in  this  articulate  Voice. 

So  also  the  senses  of  action  (Karmendriyas)  and  of  perception 
(Gnanendriyas),  the  faculties  of  Desire,  Discrimination,  and  Egoistic 
perception,  the  thread-giving  Pradhana,  the  transformations  of  Satva, 
Rajas  and  Tamas  are  all  my  manifestations.  (/.  e.  I  am  manifested 
through  all  of  them). 

Primally,  this  Jiva  Isvara  is  unmanifested  and  one.  But  being 
the  resort  of  the  three  Gunas,  being  the  generator  (Yonij  of  the 
lotus  (of  the  Universe),  He  becomes  in  time  of  divided  energy,  and 
appears  as  many,  even  like  seeds  that  have  found  the  soil. 

This  Universe  exists  in  Me,  even  as  a  piece  of  cloth  exists  in 
threads. 

The  essence  of  this  eternal  tree  of  the  Universe  is  Inclination. 
It  begets  flowers  (Karma)  and  fruits  (the  fruits  of  Karma).  Two  are 
its  seeds  (Merit  and  de  merit).  Hundreds  are  its  roots  (the  desires). 
Three  are  its  stems  (the  Three  Gunas).  Five  are  its  trunks  (the  five 
Bhutas,  Akasa  &c).  The  branches  produce  5  sorts  of  juice  (Sound, 
Touch,  Sight,  Taste  and  Smell) ;  the  Ten  senses  and  the  mind  are  the 
branches  of  the  tree.  Two  birds  (Jivatma  and  Paramatma)  make 
their  nest  on  it.  Wind,  bile  and  phlegm  are  its  dermal  layers.  Joy 
and  sorrow  are  the  two  fruits  of  this  tree.  It  extends  up  to  the  solar 
regions  (for  beyond  the  Solar  system,  the  Triloki,  there  are  no  re- 


f    390    ] 

births.)  The  country  loving  Gridhras  (in  the  first  sense,  vultures  and 
in  the  second  sense,  home  loving  men  of  desires)  partake  of  one  fruit 
(sorrow).  And  the  forest  frequenting  Hansas  (in  one  sense  swans  and 
in  the  other  sense  discriminating  men  who  give  up  desires)  -partake 
of  the  other  fruit  (joy). 

He  who,  through  the  favor  of  his  Guru  knows  the  One  as  be 
coming  Many  through  Maya,  knows  the  Truth. 

Thus  with  the  axe  of  wisdom,  sharpened  by  whole-minded 
devotion  acquired  by  the  worship  of  the  Guru,  do  thou  calmly  and 
steadily  cut  asunder  the  sheaths  of  Jiva  and  on  attaining  Paramatma, 
do  thou  let  go  of  the  instrument  itself. 


THE  GUNAS. 
SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  13. 

Satva,  Rajas  and  Tamas — they  are  the  Gunas  of  Buddhi 
(Prakrit i),  not  of  Atma — control  Rajas  and  Tamas  by  means  of  Satva 
and  control  Satva  by  Satva  itself.  When  Satva  grows  in  Man,  he 
acquires  Dharma,  which  is  Devotion  to  Me.  By  worshipping  Satvic 
objects  Satva  increases  and  Dharma  is  the  outcome.  That  Dharma 
kills  Rajas  and  Tamas  and  it  increases  Satva.  When  Rajas  and 
Tamas  are  killed,  Adharma  which  is  an  outcome  of  Rajas  and  Tamas 
is  also  killed.  The  scriptures,  water,  men,  land,  time,  karma,  regene 
ration,  meditation,  mantra  and  purification — these  ten  are  accessaries 
to  the  Gunas.  Of  these  what  the  Sages  praise  are  Satvic,  what  they 
blame  are  Tamasic,  what  they  neither  praise  nor  blame  are  Rajasic. 
Have  resort  to  only  those  of  them  that  are  Satvic,  for  then  Satva 
will  increase.  Dharma  follows  that  increase  and  wisdom  follows 
Dharma.  But  wisdom  has  its  field  only  so  long  as  memory  lasts 
and  the  (Gunas)  are  not  exhausted.  Fire  that  is  produced  by  the 
friction  of  bamboo  pieces,  burns  up  the  forest  and  is  then  extinguished 
of  itself  even  so  the  body  caused  by  disturbance  of  the  Gunas  is 
extinguished  of  itself,  (at  that  final  stage). 

(Of  the  scriptures,  there  are  some  that  speak  of  inclination, 
others  that  speak  of  disinclination.  The  latter  only  are  to  be  follow 
ed.  Water  which  has  a  purifying  effect,  as  that  of  a  sacred  place  is 
to  be  used,  not  pointed  water  and  wine.  Bad  men  are  to  be  shunned 
and  good  men  are  to  be  mixed  with.  Quiet  solitary  places  are  to  be 
sought,  not  highways  and  gambling  places.  The  time  before  sun 


[     39i     ] 

rise  is  preferable  for  meditation  not  night  fall  or  night.  Nitya  Karma 
is  to  be  performed,  not  KAmya  Karma.  Initiation  causes  a  second 
birth.  Vaishnava  or  Saiva  initiation  is  SAtvic  and  not  Sakta  initia 
tion.  Meditation  upon  Vishnu  is  Satvic  and  not  the  meditation  upon 
wo  nen  or  upon  those  that  are  hostile  to  Vishnu.  The  Pr^nava  Mantra 
is  Satvic  and  not  the  lower  KAmya  Mantras.  The  cleansing  must 
be  purification  of  self,  not  the  mere  cleansing  of  Deva  houses. 
Sridham.  By  these  Satvic  pursuits,  Satva  Guna  prevails  in  man.  When 
Satva  prevails  the  whole  nature  becomes  Satvic.  The  tendencies  are 
all  such  as  to  lead  to  calmness,  which  is  the  essence  of  Satva.  This 
is  Dharma — Adharma  is  the  opposite  of  this.  It  is  identified  with 
such  a  nature  as  leads  to  distractions.  Dharma  is  followed  by  wis 
dom.  For  when  the  mind  is  calm  and  tranquil,  truths  are  reflected 
on  it  in  their  entirety  and  they  are  fully  perceived.  That  wisdom 
lasts  as  long  as  memory  lasts  i.  e.  as  long  as  Dvaita  perception  exists. 
But  when  the  Gunas  themselves  die  out,  wisdom  vanishes  of  itself,  for 
when  there  is  direct  perception  of  Brahma  as  self,  the  knower,  the 
known  and  knowledge  become  one  and  the  same.) 

HOW  TO  WITHDRAW  FROM  THE  OBJECTS 
OF  THE  SENSES. 

SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  13. 

Uddhava  asked  : — 

Generally  people  know  that  the  objects  of  the  senses  lead 
them  to  misery.  How  is  it,  O  Krishna,  they  still  follow  them,  like 
dogs,  donkeys  and  goats  ? 

Sri  Krishna  replied  : — 

When  in  the  heart  of  the  undiscriminating  man,  the  false  per 
ception  of  "  I  "  arises  (with  regard  to  body  &c.),  the  terrible  Rajas 
takes  posession  of  the  Manas,  which  by  its  origin  is  Satvic.  Doubts 
and  desires  arise  in  the  mind.  The  mind  then  dwells  upon  attributes 
(oh  !  how  beautiful,  what  a  nice  thing  !)  and  acquires  a  strong  liking 
for  it.  Guided  by  the  passions,  with  the  senses  uncontrolled,  deluded 
by  the  strong  current  of  Rajas,  the  helpless  man  knowingly  does 
things  that  bear  evil  fruits.  The  mind  of  the  wise  man  is  also  dis 
tracted  by  Rajas  and  Tamas.  But  he  sleeplessly  controls  his  mind 
and  he  finds  fault  (with  his  own  actions).  He  is  not  attached  to  them. 
Gradually  and  steadfastly  offer  up  your  mind  to  Me,  being  wide 
awake,  at  all  times,  controlling  your  breath  and  regulating  your  seat 
and  you  will  then  be  able  to  control  your  mind. 


[    392    ] 

This  is  the  Yoga,  as  taught  by  My  disciples  Sanaka  and 
others. 

Uddhava  asked  : — 

When  and  in  what  form  did  you  teach  Sanaka  and  others? 

Sri  Krishna  replied  : — 

Sanaka  and  other  Manas-born  sons  of  Brahma  asked  their 
father  as  follows : — The  mind  enters  the  Gunas  (objects  /.  e.  the 
mind  naturally  becomes  attached  to  objects)  and  the  Gunas  (/.  e.  the 
objects  when  experienced)  enter  the  mind  (as  desires).  How  can 
those  that  want  to  cross  over  (the  objects)  and  to  become  liberated 
cause  a  separation  between  the  two  ? 

Brahma  could  not  gauge  the  question  in  his  own  mind.  So 
he  meditated  on  me.  I  appeared  before  him  as  a  Hansa.  (The 
Swan  can  discriminate  between  milk  and  water.  So  the  bird  symbo 
lises  a  discriminating  sage.)  "  The  Brahmanas  and  Brahma  asked  : — 
"  Who  art  thou."  ?  I  said  as  follows  :  — 

"O  Brahmanas  does  your  question  relate  to  Atma — If  so, 
Atma  is  not  many.  So  the  question  does  not  arise.  And  who  will 
reply  to  whom  ? 

If  your  question  relates  to  the  body,  then  also  the  elements 
composing  the  body  being  the  same  in  all  beings,  and  Atm&  being 
the  same  in  all,  your  question  is  meaningless. 

Whatever  is  perceived  by  the  senses  and  the  mind,  I  am 
that — There  is  nothing  besides  Me.  Rightly  know  this  to  be  so. 

True  the  mind  enters  the  Gunas  and  the  Gunas  enter  the  mind. 
The  Gunas  and  mind  thus  mutually  blended  are  but  the  body  of  the 
Jiva,  its  reality  being  My  own  self.  (If  mind  wedded  to  objects,  be  the 
essence  of  Jiva,  then  their  separation  is  not  possible.  But  the  essence 
of  Jiva  is  Brahma.  Mind  is  only  attributed  to  Jiva.  And  Jiva's 
connection  with  the  objects  is  through  the  properties  of  the  mind. 
Therefore  Jiva  by  realising  that  it  is  Brahma  will  find  out  that  the 
objects  have  no  existence  as  far  as  its  own  self  is  concerned.  There 
fore  by  devotion  to  Bhagavat,  Jiva  completely  rests  in  its  own  self 
Stidhaia.  This  is  not  a  separation  of  Manas  and  objects,  but  the 
withdrawal  of  self  from  both.) 

By  constant  pursuit  of  the  Gunas,  the  mind  enters  the  Gunas. 
The  Gunas  also  (being  turned  into  desires)  take  a  firm  hold  of  the 
mind.  Knowing  Me  to  be  thy  own  self  give  up  both  (the  objects 
and  the  mind  wedded  to  them.) 


C    393    ] 

Wakeful  ness  (Jagrat),  Dream  (Svapna)  and  Dreamless  sleep 
(Sushupti)  are  states  of  mind,  caused  by  the  Gunas.  Jiva  is 
beyond  all  these  states.  For  it  is  the  witness  of  all  these  states.  The 
bondage  caused  by  mind  imparts  the  actions  of  the  Gunas  to 
Atma.  Therefore  being  fixed  in  Me,  the  Fourth  (i.  e.  beyond  the 
three  states  of  consciousness),  get  over  the  bondage  of  mind.  That 
will  be  the  (mutual)  giving  up  of  the  mind  and  the  Gunas.  This 
bondage  of  Atma  is  caused  by  Ahankara  (the  sense  of  "  I-ness") 
Know  this  to  be  the  cause  of  all  evils.  Knowing  this,  be  fixed  in  the 
Fourth,  and  give  up  all  thoughts  of  Sansdra  (i.  e.  of  mind  and  of  the 
connections  caused  by  mind.) 

So  long  as  the  idea  of  manifoldness  is  not  destroj'ed  by  reason 
ing,  man  dreams  in  ignorance  even  in  the  wakeful  state,  just  as  in 
dream,  the  ignorant  man  thinks  he  is  wakeful. 

All  things,  other  than  Atma  are  unreal.  The  differences 
made  amongst  them  (such  as,  this  is  Brahmana,  this  is  Sudra,  this  is 
Grihastha,  this  is  Sanyasin),  the  different  destinations  (Svarga  and 
other  Karmic  fruits)  and  even  Karma  (action)  itself  are  unreal,  so 
far  as  Atm£  is  concerned. 

He  who  throughout  the  constantly  following  stages  of  life 
(childhood,  youth,  age  etc.)  perceives  the  objects  in  the  wakeful  state, 
with  the  help  of  all  the  senses,  he  who  perceives  the  likes  of  those 
objects  in  dream  in  the  heart,  and  he  who  brings  those  perceptions 
to  an  end  in  dreamless  sleep  are  all  one  and  the  same.  For  the  same 
memory  runs  through  all  these  states..  The  Lord  of  the  senses  is  one 
and  the  same.  (The  outward  senses  perceive  the  wakeful  state.  Mind 
perceives  the  dream.  Buddhi  perceives  dreamless  sleep.  Atma  is 
the  Lord  of  all  these  senses). 

Ponder  well  over  this  that  the  three  states  of  mind  are  caused 
in  Me  by  the  Gunas,  through  My  Maya.  Knowing  this  definitely, 
cut  asunder  the  source  of  all  doubts  (Ahank&ra)  by  the  sword  of  wis 
dom  sharpened  by  reasoning,  the  teachings  of  Sadhus,  and  the  Srutis. 
And  worship  Me,  that  dwell  in  the  heart. 

Look  upon  this  Universe  as  a  delusion,  a  play  of  the  mind. 
Now  seen,  now  destroyed.  So  rapid  is  the  succession,  that  it  is  like 
a  whirling  fire  brand  that  looks  circular  (on  account  of  the  rapid 
motion,  though  it  is  not  circular).  One  consciousness  appears  as 
many.  The  phenomenal  existence  (Vikalpa)  caused  by  the  three 
fold  Guna  transformations  is  but  Maya,  a  dream. 
50 


t    394    ] 

Turn  away  your  sight  from  this  object  world.  Give  up  all 
desires.  Be  calm  and  find  bliss  in  the  perception  of  self.  At  times 
you  will  have  experience  of  the  objects  in  your  daily  life  (for  getting 
}he  necessaries  of  life).  But  what  you  have  once  thrown  aside  as 
unreal  shall  not  be  able  to  cause  delusion  in  you.  Till  the  fall  of 
your  body,  the  objects  will  haunt  you  like  things  of  the  past,  stored 
as  it  were  in  memory  alone.  This  frail  body,  through  which  he  has 
known  his  real  self,  may  rise  or  sit,  may  move  away  from  its  place  or 
come  back,  just  as  chance  will  have  it,  but  the  Siddha  sees  it  not, 
even  as  an  inebriate  person  does  not  see  the  cloth  he  puts  on. 

The  body  waits  with  the  Pranas  and  Indriyas  till  the  Com 
menced  Karma  exhausts  itself.  But  being  fixed  in  Samadhi,  the 
knovver  of  the  truth  does  not  care  for  the  body  and  the  object  world, 
which  are  all  visionary  to  him. 

I  said  all  this  to  the  Brahmanas  and   came   back   to   my   own 

abode. 


BHAKTI  YOGA. 
SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  14. 

O  Krishna,  thou  speakest  of  Bhakti  Yoga.  Others  speak  of 
other  expedients.  Are  they  all  same  or  is  any  one  of  them  superior  to 
others  ? 

Sri-Krishna  replied  : — 

The  tendencies  of  men  are  different,  according  to  the  differences 
in  their  nature.  So  different  paths  have  been  spoken  of.  But  the 
regions  (or  fruits)  acquired  by  the  votaries  of  the  other  paths,  and  as 
created  by  their  actions  have  a  beginning  and  an  end,  a  miserable 
future  and  an  end  in  Tamas.  The  pleasures  there  are  small  and 
they  are  not  unmixed  with  sorrow.  Where  is  that  bliss  to  be  found 
in  objects  that  is  to  be  found  in  Me. 

Fixed  in  Me,  and  finding  bliss  in  Me,  all  is  blissful  to  My 
votaries.  They  do  not  wish  for  universal  supremacy,  they  do  not  ask 
for  supremacy  over  Svarga,  Bhur  or  P^tala,  they  do  not  long  for 
Sicldhis,  they  do  not  even  ask  for  Mukti.  Surrendering  Self  to  Me 
they  wish  for  nothing  else  but  Myself.  Brahma,  Siva,  Sankarshana, 
Lakshmi  and  My  own  form  are  not  so" dear  to  Me,  O  Uddhava,  as  thou 
art  to  Me.  I  always  seek  my  Bhaktas.  It  is  they  only  that  know 
what  bliss  they  enjoy,  Bhakti  consumes  all  impurities,  even  as  fire 


t    39S    I 

consumes  the  fuel.  Yoga,  Sankhya,  Dharma,  study  of  the  scriptures, 
asceticism,  or  relinquishment  nothing  wins  me  so  much  as  powerful 
Bhakti  does.  I  am  attained  only  by  faithful  Devotion.  Bhakti  puri 
fies  the  Bhaktas,  even  though  they  be  Chandalas  by  birth. 

Dharma,  though  combined  with  truth  and  compassion,  wis 
dom  though  wedded  to  asceticism,  do  not  completely  purify  self,  if 
devotion  to  Me  is  wanting.  How  can  mind  be  purified  without 
Bhakti.  For  by  Bhakti  the  hairs  stand  on  end,  the  heart  melts  away 
and  tears  of  bliss  run  down  the  cheek.  Words  become  choked  with 
devotional  feelings.  The  Bhakta  weeps,  and  smiles,  and  sings  and 
dances  forgetting  himself.  Such  a  Bhakta  (not  only  purifies  self,  but) 
he  purifies  the  whole  world. 

Gold  loses  its  impurities  under  fire  and  regains  its  own  form. 
Atm&  (Jiva  Atma)  shakes  off  its  impurities  under  Bhakti  Yoga  and 
regains  its  own  form.  As  Atma  becomes  more  and  more  purified,  by 
hearing  and  meditating  on  the  sacred  sayings  about  Me,  it  sees  more 
and  more  of  subtle  objects,  as  the  eye  touched  with  collyrium  does. 

Think  of  objects  and  your  mind  will  be  attached  to  objects. 
Think  of  Me  and  your  mind  will  be  attached  to  Me.  Therefore  fix 
your  mind  on  Me,  giving  up  all  other  thoughts. 

Shun  from  a  distance  the  company  of  women  and  of  those 
that  keep  the  company  of  women.  Be  self  controlled.  Go  to  a 
solitary  place,  free  from  dangers  and  then  sleeplessly  meditate 
on  Me. 

There  is  not  so  much  misery,  so  much  bondage  from  other 
quarters  as  from  the  company  of  women  and  of  those  that  associate 
with  them. 


MEDITATION. 
SKANDHA  X.    CHAP.  14. 

Uddhava  asked  : — 

O  Lotus-eyed  !  how  to  meditate  on  Thee  !  Tell  me  what  is 
the  nature  of  that  meditation  and  what  it  is  ? 

Sri-Krishna  replied  : — 

Be  seated  on  an  A'sana  (Seat),  that  is  neither  high  nor  low 
(say,  a  blanket),  with  your  'Body  erect  and  in  an  easy  posture. 
Place  your  hands  on  the  lap.  Fix  your  gaze  on  the  tip  of  the  nose 
(in  order  to  fix  the  mind).  Purify  the  tracks  of  PrAna  by  Puraka, 


Kumbhaka  and  Rechaka,  and  then  again  in  the  reverse  way  (  i.e.  first 
breathe  in  by  the  left  nostril  with  the  right  nostril  closed  by  the  tip 
of  the  thumb,  then  close  the  left  nostril  by  the  tips  of  the  ring 
finger  and  the  little  finger  and  retain  the  breath  in  both  the  nostrils. 
Then  remove  the  tip  of  the  thumb,  and  breathe  out  through  the 
right  nostril.  Reverse  the  process  by  breathing  in  through  the  right 
nostril  then  retaining  the  breath  in  both  the  nostrils  and  then  letting 
out  the  breath  through  the  left  nostril).  Practise  this  Pranayama 
gradually  with  your  senses  controlled. 

"  Aum  "  with  the  sound  of  a  bell,  extends  all  over,  from  Mula- 
dhara  upwards.  Raise  the  "  Aum  "  in  the  heart,  by  means  of  Prana 
(twelve  fingers  upwards)  as  if  it  were  the  thread  of  a  lotus-stalk. 
There  let  Bindu  (the  fifteenth  vowel  sound)  be  added  to  it.  Thus 
practise  Pranayama  accompanied  by  the  Pranava  reciting  the  latter 
ten  times.  Continue  the  practice,  three  times  a  day  and  within  a 
month  you  shall  be  able  to  control  the  vital  air.  The  lotus  of  the 
heart,  has  its  stalk  upwards  and  the  flower  downwards,  facing  below 
(and  it  is  also  closed,  like  the  inflorescence  with  bracts  of  the  banana 
Sridhara).  Meditate  on  it  however  as  facing  upwards  and  full-blown, 
with  eight  petals  and  with  the  pericarp.  On  the  pericarp,  think  of 
the  Sun,  the  Moon,  and  Fire  one  after  another.  Meditate  on  My 
form  (as  given  in  the  text)  within  the  Fire.  First  Meditate  on  all  the 
limbs.  Then  let  the  mind  withdraw  the  senses  from  their  objects. 
Then  draw  the  concentrated  mind  completely  towards  Me,  by  means 
of  Buddhi.  Then  give  up  all  other  limbs  and  concentrate  your  mind 
on  one  thing  only — My  smiling  face.  Do  not  meditate  on  anything 
else.  Then  with  draw  the  concentrated  mind  from  that  and  fix  it  on 
Akasa.  Give  up  that  also  and  being  fixed  in  Me,  (as  Brahma)  thin  k 
of  nothing  at  all.  You  shall  see  Me  in  Atma,  as  identical  with  all 
Atmas,  even  as  light  is  identical  with  another  light.  The  delusions 
about  object,  knowledge  and  action  shall  then  completely  disappear. 


THE  SIDDHIS 
SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  15. 

When  the  senses  and  the  breath  are  controlled  and  the  mind 
is  fixed  on  Me,  Siddhis  or  powers  overtake  the  Yogi.  There  are 
eighteen  Siddhis  and  eighteen  Dharana's.  Of  these,  eight  belong  to  me 
(eight  of  them  are  normally  the  powers  of  Isvara  and  they  exist  in  a 
some  what  lesser  degree  in  those  that  approach  the  state  of  Isvara 


[     397     1 

Sridhara].     The  remaining  ten   cause  the  appearance  of  Guna   (i.e. 
they  cause  an  excellence  of  Satva.     Sridhara.) 

1.  Animd,  the  power  of  becoming  as  small  as  an  atom. 

2.  MahimA,  the  power  of  increasing  size. 

3.  LaghimA,  the  power  of  becoming  light. 
These  three  Siddhis  relate  to  the  body. 

4.  PrApti,   to   be   in    the  relation    of  presiding    Devas  to  the 
corresponding  senses  of  all  beings. 

5.  PrAkAmya,  power  of  enjoying  and   perceiving  all  objects 
seen  or  unseen. 

6.  Isitd,  con  troll   over  the  energies  of  Maya  in  fsvara,  over 
the  lower  energies  in  other  beings. 

7.  VasitA,  Non-attachment  to  objects. 

8.  KAmavasAyitA,  the  power  of  attaining  all  desires. 
These  are  My  eight  Siddhis  and  they  normally  exist  in  Me. 

1.  The  cessation  of  hunger  and  thirst. 

2.  The  hearing  from  a  distance. 

3.  Seeing  from  a  distance. 

4.  Motion  of  the  body  with  the  velocity  of  the  mind. 

5.  Assumption  of  any  form  at  will. 

6.  The  entering  into  another's  body. 

7.  Death  at  one's  own   will. 

8.  Play  with  Deva  girls. 

9.  The  attainment  of  desired  for  objects. 
IO.  Irresistible  command. 

These  are  the  ten  Siddhis  that  relate  to  the  Gunas. 
There  are  also  five  smaller  Siddhis. 

1.  Knowledge  of  the  present,  past  and  future. 

2.  Control  over  the  Pairs,  such  as  heat  and  cold.  &c. 

3.  Knowledge  of  other's  minds. 

4.  Suspending  the  actions  of  fire,  sun,  water,  poison  £c. 

5.  Invincibility. 

These  are  only  illustrative  of  the  Siddhis. 

Now    about   Dharana   or   the   modes  of  concentration  of  the 
mind. 

Those  that  fix  their  mind  on  Me  as  pervading   the   Tanmatras 
acquire  the  power  of  becoming  an  atom, 


[     398     ] 

Those  that  cocentrate  their  mind  on   Me  as   pervading   Mahat 
Tatva  acquire  Mahima. 

The  object  of  Dharana        ...  ...  The  power  acquired 

The  Lord  pervading  the  atoms               ...  LaghimA. 
Do.             Do.     SAtvic  Ahankara     ...  PrApti. 
Do.             Do.     Sutra  or  Mahat        ...  Prakamya. 
Vishnu*  the  Lord  of  the  three  Gunas     ...  fsitA. 
Narayana,  the  Fourth,  Bhagavat             ...  Vasita. 
Nirguna  Brahma   (Brahma  without  attri 
bute)          ...                 ...                 ...  Kamavasayita. 

Lord  of  Sveta  Dvipa  (White  Island)     ...  Cessation  of  hunger 

and  thurst. 

Akasa  ...  ...  ...  Distant  hearing. 

Sun  ...  ...  ...  Distant  vision. 

&c.  &c.  &c. 


THE  VIBHUTIS  OR  POWERS  OF  THE  LORD. 
SKANDHA  XI.    CHAP.  16. 

The   Sixteenth   Chapter   deals  with  the  Vibhutis  of  the  Lord, 
much  in  the  same  way  as  the  tenth  chapter  of  the  Bhagavad  Gita. 

VARNA  AND  ASRAMA  RULES. 
SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  17-18. 

The  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  chapters  deal  with  Varna  and 
Asrama  rules. 


WHAT  ONE  IS  TO  DO  FOR  MOKSHA. 
SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  19. 

Jnana  (knowledge),  VairAgya  (dispassion),  Vijnana  (direct 
knowledge),  SraddhA  (faith)  Bhakti  (Devotion),  these  are  the  requi 
sites  of  Moksha.  The  nine  (Prakriti,  Purusha,  Mahat.  Ahankara 
and  the  five  Tanmatras),  the  eleven  (five  JnAnendriyas,  five  Karmen- 
driyas  and  Manas),  the  five  Bhutas,  the1  three  (Gunas),  that  knowledge 
by  which  one  knows  that  these  constitute  all  beings  and  that  the  One 
underlies  all  these  is  Jndna. 


[     399     ] 

(The  first  training  of  the  mind  is  to  break  up  the  objects  into 
their  component  elements.  Thus  we  can  mentally  resolve  any  object 
into  its  chemical  elements  and  this  Universe  into  a  mass  of  homo 
geneous  nebula.  The  process  is  to  be  carried  further,  till  we  get  the 
Tatvas  or  the  ultimate  principles  of  the  Sankhya  philosophy.  Then 
the  next  step  is  to  realise  the  one  Purusha  a&  underlying  all  the 
Prauritic  principles.) 

Vijnana  is  the  direct  knowledge  of  the  One  by  itself  and  not  as 
pervading  all  Prakritic  forms.  (Jnana  is  indirect  knowledge  and 
Vijnana  is  direct  knowledge  of  Brahma). 

All  the  existing  things  being  formed  of  the  three  Gunas  have 
their  growth,  existence  and  end.  What  follows  the  transformation 
from  one  form  into  another,  at  all  the  three  stages  of  beginning, 
middle  and  end,  and  what  remains  behind  after  the  destruction  of  all 
forms — that  is  the  existing  (Sat). 

The  Vedas,  direct  perception,  the  sayings  of  great  men  and 
logical  inference  are  the  four  Pramanas  or  evidences.  The  world  of 
transformations  does  not  stand  the  test  of  any  of  them  (/'.  e.  there 
is  only  one  real  existence,  the  existence  of  the  transformable  and 
transformed  world  being  only  relative  and  unreal.  This  is  the  con 
clusion  arrived  at  from  all  sources,.  Therefore  the  wise  man  be 
comes  dispassionate  to  all  things. 

Transformation  is  the  end  of  all  actions.  Therefore  the  wise 
man  sees  all  the  regions  that  may  be  attained  by  actions  from  that 
of  Brahma  downwards,  as  miserable  and  transitory  even  like  the 
worlds  that  are  seen.  This  is  Vairagya  or  Dispassion. 

I  have  told  you  already  of  Bhakti  yoga.  Hear  again  what 
I  say.  SraddhA  or  faith  in  the  nectar  like  sayings  about  Me,  constant 
recitals  about  myself,  steadiness  in  worshipping  Me,  the  chanting 
of  devotional  hymns,  the  hearty  performance  of  divine  service, 
adoration  by  means  of  the  body,  worship  of  my  votaries,  the 
realisation  of  my  existence  in  all  beings,  ^the  directing  of  the 
daily  actions  and  of  the  daily  talks  towards  Me,  the  offering  up  of 
the  mind  to  Me,  the  giving  up  of  all  desires,  of  all  objects,  of  all 
enjoyments  and  of  all  joys  for  my  Sake,  the  performance  of  Vedic 
karma  all  for  Me — by  all  these,  Bhakti  grows  up  towards  Me. 


[    400    ] 

THE  SADHANAS  OR   EXPEDIENTS. 
SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  19. 

Yama  consists  of — 

1.  Ahinsd — the  non-infliction  of  pain. 

2.  Satya — the  practice  of  truth. 

3.  Asteya — Not  even  the  mental  stealing  of  other's  properties, 

4.  Asanga — Non-attachment. 

5.  Hri — Modesty. 

6.  Asanchaya — Want  of  storing  for. the  future. 

7.  Astikya — faith  in  religion. 

8.  Brahmacharya — Abstinence. 

9.  Mauna — Silence. 

IO.     Sthaitya — Steadiness. 
n.     Kshamd — forgiveness. 
12.     Abhaya — fearlessness. 
Niyama  Consists  of 

1.  Saucha — bodily  purity. 

2.  Do.         Mental  purit)'. 

3.  Jtipa — Menta!  repetition  of  Mantras  or  Names  of  deities. 

4.  Tapas — Asceticism. 

5.  Homa — Sacrificial  offering. 

6.  Sraddhd—fa\\\\. 

7.  Atithya — hospitality. 

8.  Archand — daily  worship. 

9.  Ttrthdtana — Wandering  on  pilgrimage. 

10.  Pararthehd — desire  for  the  Supreme  object. 

11.  Tushti — Contentment. 

12.  Achdrya  Sevana — Service  of  the  spiritual  teacher. 

Yama  and  Niyama  are  practised  by  men,  either  for  furtherance 
in  life  or  for  Moksha. 

Santa — is  fixing  the  mind  on  Me  (and  not  mental  quietness 
only). 

Titiksha — is  forbearance. 

Dhriti — is  the  restraint  of  the  senses  of  taste  and  generation, 

The  best  Ddna  (gift)  is  not  to  oppress  any  creature. 

Tapas — is  really  the  giving  up  of  desires. 

Saurya  or  power  is  the  control  of  one's  own  nature. 

Satya  or  Truth  is  the  practice  of  equality. 

Rita — is  truth  speaking  that  d6es  not  cause  pain. 

Saucha — is  only  non-attachment  to  karma,  but  Tydga  is  its 
complete  renunciation. 


[    401     ] 

The  wealth  to  be  coveted  for  is  D karma.  I  Myself  am  Yajna. 
Spiritual  teaching  is  the  Sacrificial  gift.  Prdndyama  is  the  greatest 
strength. 

Bhaga  is  my  Lordly  state. 

The  best  attainment  is  devotion  to  Me.  , 

Vidyd  is  the  removal  of  the  idea  of  separateness  from  self. 

Hrt  is  the  abhorrence  of  all  unrighteous  acts  (and  not  merely 
modesty.) 

Sri  is  (not  merely  riches  but)  virtues.  Happiness  is  that  which 
seeks  neither  happiness  nor  misery. 

Misery  is  nothing  but  longings  for  enjoyment. 

The  Sage  is  he  who  knows  about  liberation  from  bondage. 

He  is  ignorant  who  knows  the  body  to  be  self. 

The  Path  is  that  which  leads  to  Me. 

The  evil  path  is  that  which  distracts  the  mind. 

The  increase  of  Satva  is  Svarga  (and  not  merely  Indra  Loka.) 

The  increase  of  Tamas  is  Naraka. 

Guru  is  the  friend  and  I  am  that  Guru. 

This  human  body  is  the  house. 

He  is  rich  who  is  virtuous. 

He  is  poor  who  is  not  contented. 

He   who  has  not  conquered  the  senses  is  the  helpless  man. 

The  Lord  is  he  who  is  not  attached  to  the  objects. 

He  is  a  slave  who  is  attached  to  them. 


THE  THREE  PATHS 
KARMA,  JNiNA  AND  BHAKTI. 

SKANDHA  XI,  CHAP:  20. 
Uddhava  said  : — 

Karma  is  to  be  performed  and  Karma  is  not  to  be  performed — 
both  are  Thy  injunctions  in  the  Vedas.  The  Vedas  speak  of  merits 
and  demerits  in  connection  witjb  Karma.  They  speak  of  Varna  and 
Asrama,  of  differences  in  time,  space,  age  and  objects,  of  Svarga 
and  Naraka. 
51 


[     402      ] 

The  sense  of  right  and  wrong  is  not  innate  but  it  is  acquired 
from  the  scriptures,  and  the  same  scriptures  undermine  all  ideas  of 
difference.  All  this  is  confounding  to  me. 

Shri  Krishna  replied  : — 

I  have  spoken  of  three  paths  leading  to  the  attainment  of 
Moksha  by  men — Jnana,  Karma  and  Bhakti  Yogas.  There  is  no 
other  means  what  so  ever  of  attaining  Moksha.  Jnana  Yoga  is  for 
those  that  are  disgusted  with  the  performance  of  Karma  and  so  give 
it  up. 

Karma  Yoga  is  for  those  that  are  not  disgusted  with  the  per 
formance  of  Karma  but  are  attached  to  it. 

He  who  perchance  becomes  fond  of  what  is  said  or  spoken  of 
Me,  but  has  no  aversion  for  Karma  nor  has  any  undue  attachment  to 
it  is  fit  for  Bhakti  Yoga. 

Perform  Karma  so  long  as  you  do  not  feel  disgust  for  it  or 
as  long  as  you  are  not  drawn  by  love  for  me.  True  to  your  duties, 
perform  Yajnas  but  without  any  selfish  desires.  Do  not  perform 
prohibited  Karma.  Then  you  shall  cross  the  limits  of  both  Svarga 
and  Naraka. 

By  the  performance  of  one's  own  duties,  the  purified  man  may 
acquire  pure  wisdom  (Jn^na)  and  Bhakti. 

The  dwellers  of  Svarga  wish  for  the  human  bcdy  and  so  the 
dwellers  of  Naraka.  For  that  body  is  a  means  to  the  attainment  of 
of  Jnana  and  Bhakti  both,  not  so  the  Svarga  body  or  Naraka  body. 

The  far — sighted  man  does  not  wish  for  Svarga  or  Naraka. 
He  does  not  even  wish  for  human  existence.  For  connection  with 
the  body  causes  selfish  distractions. 

The  sage  knows  the  body  as  leading  to  desired  for  ends.  But 
he  realises  at  the  same  time  its  transitory  character.  He  therefore 
loses  no  time  in  striving  for  Moksha  before  the  approach  of  death. 
Even  so  the  bird  loses  all  attachment  for  its  nest  and  flies  away  free 
and  happy  before  the  man  who  strikes  at  the  tree  succeeds  in  felling 
it. 

The  human  body  which  is  the  primal  source  of  all  attainments 
is  a  well  built  boat,  so  hard  to  secure  and  so  cheap  when  once  attained. 
The  Guru  is  at  the  he!m  of  this  bo'at,  and  I  am  the  favorable  wind 
that  drives  it.  The  man  that  does  not  cross  the  ocean  of  births  with 
such  a  boat  is  a  killer  of  self. 


[     403     ] 

JnAna : — When  a  man  feels  disgust  for  karma  and  becomes 
dispassionate  and  when  his  senses  are  controlled,  he  should  practise 
concentration  of  mind. 

When  in  the  act  of  concentration,  the  mind  suddenly  goes 
astray  and  becomes  unsettled,  you  should  bring  it  back  under  the 
control  of  self,  with  unremitting  efforts,  after  allowing  it  to  go  in  its 
wandering  course  a  little. 

Never  neglect  however  to  check  the  course  of  the  mind  with 
your  Pr£nas  and  senses  all  controlled.  With  the  help  of  SAtvic 
Buddhi  bring  the  mind  under  the  control  of  self. 

This  control  of  the  mind  is  the  highest  yoga.  The  horseman 
slackens  the  reins  at  first  but  never  lets  go  the  reins.  Reflect  on  the 
creative  manifestation  of  all  objects  and  then  the  contrary  process 
of  their  dissolution,  according  to  the  Sankhya  method.  Do  this  till 
the  mind  attains  calm. 

By  cultivating  a  sense  of  disgust,  by  the  growth  of  dispassion, 
by  constant  pondering  over  the  teachings  of  the  Guru,  the  mind  gives 
up  its  delusion. 

By  practising  Yama  and  other  ways  of  Yoga,  by  discrimination 
of  self  and  by  worshipping  Me,  the  mind  is  able  to  think  of  the 
Supreme. 

If  by  loss  of  mental  balance,  the  Yogi  does  some  improper 
act  he  should  burn  up  the  impurity  by  Yoga  alone,  but  not  by  any 
other  means  (not  by  expiatory  rites  Sridkara,} 

Adherence  to  the  particular  path  of  one's  own  following  is  the 
right  thing.  People  have  been  taught  to  distinguish  between  right 
and  wrong,  not  because  the  acts  are  not  all  impure  by  their  very 
nature  but  because  the  distinction  is  necessary  to  regulate  the  acts 
themselves  with  a  view  to  cause  a  final  abandonment  of  all  attach 
ments  to  them.  (It  may  be  said  that  according  to  the  scriptures, 
Nitya  Karma  (acts  ordained  to  be  daily  performed)  and  Naimittika 
Karma  (acts  ordained  to  be  occasionally  performed)  purify  the  mind. 
Hence  they  are  tight  (guna).  The  killing  of  animals  and  such  other 
acts  make  the  mind  impure.  Hence  they  are  wrong  (dosha).  Ex 
piatory  acts  (Prayaschitta)  are  required  to  be  performed  in  order 
to  remove  the  consequences  of  wrong  acts.  Therefore  Prayaschitta 
is  a  right  thing  (guna).  How  can  impurities  be  destroyed  by  means 
of  Yoga  then  and  not  by  means  of  PrAyaschitta  :  therefore  it  is 
said  that  what  is  called  Guna  (Yight)  and  Dosha  (wrong)  by  injunc 
tions  and  prohibitions,  is  only  a  regulation  of  acts.  The  purport  is 
this,  The  impurities  of  a  man  are  not  the  outcome  of  his  own 


[     404     ] 

inclinations.  Man  is  impure  through  his  natural  tendencies.  It  is  not 
possible  for  him  all  on  a  sudden  to  have  disinclination  for  all  actions. 
Therefore  "  Do  this,"  "  Do  not  do  this," — these  injunctions  and  pro 
hibitions  only  put  a  restriction  upon  the  inclinations  of  a  man  and 
by  this  means,  they  lead  to  disinclination.  The  Yogis  have  no  in 
clinations.  The  rules  of  Prayaschitta  are  therefore  not  meant  for 
them.  Sridhara.) 

Bhakti : — He  who  has  reverential  faith  in  all  that  is  said  about 
Me,  and  who  feels  disgust  for  all  actions,  who  knows  that  desires  are 
identical  with  misery,  but  is  yet  in-capable  of  renouncing  them,  such 
a  man  should  worship  Me,  with  sincere  devotion  and  firm  faith. 
Though  gratifying  his  desires,  he  should  not  have  any  attachment  for 
them,  knowing  that  they  lead  to  misery  in  the  end.  Those  that  cons 
tantly  worship  Me  according  to  Bhakti  yoga  as  already  expounded 
by  Me,  have  all  the  desires  of  their  heart  destroyed  as  I  myself  dwell 
in  their  heart.  The  bondage  is  broken  asunder,  doubts  all  cease  to 
exist,  the  accumulated  actions  fade  away,  when  I,  the  Atmaof  all,  am 
seen.  My  Bhakta  speedily  attains  every  thing  that  is  attained  by 
other  means,  Svarga,  Moksha  or  even  My  own  abode,  if  he  has  any 
desire  for  any  of  these.  But  My  Bhaktas  who  are  solely  devoted  to 
Me  do  not  desire  any  thing  even  if  it  be  offered  by  Me,  not  even  final 
liberation.  They  are  beyond  the  limits  of  Guna  and  Dosha. 


GUNA  AND  DOSHA  OR  RIGHT  AND  WRONG. 
SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  21. 

Those  who  do  not  follow  the  Paths  of  Bhakti,  Jnana  and 
Karma,  but  who  only  seek  paltry  desires  become  subject  to  rebirths 
[  For  those  that  are  matured  in  Jnana  and  Bhakti,  there  is  neither 
Guna  (right)  nor  Dosha  (wrong).  For  those  that  practise  Disinclina 
tion,  the  performance  of  Nitya  and  Naimittika  Karma  is  Guna,  for  it 
leads  to  the  purification  of  the  mind.  The  non-performance  of  such 
Karma  and  the  performance  of  prohibited  Karma  are  Dosha,  for  they 
give  rise  to  impurities  of  the  mind.  Prayaschitta  counteracts  such 
Dosha,  and  therefore  it  is  Guna.  For  those  pure  men  that  are  fixed 
in  the  Path  of  Jn&na,  the  practice  of  Jnana  is  Guna ;  Bhakti  is  Guna 
to  them  that  are  fixed  in  the  path  of  Bhakti.  What  is  opposed  to 
Jnana  and  Bhakti  is  Dosha  to  the  followers  of  those  two  Paths.  All 
this  has  been  said  before.  Now  Guna  and  Dosha  are  detailed  for 
those  that  do  not  follow  the  Paths,  but  seek  their  selfish  ends 


[    405     ] 

Sridhara  ].  Devotion  to  the  path  of  one's  following  is  Guna.  The 
reverse  is  Dosha.  This  is  the  proper  definition  of  Guna  and  Dosha 
(Guna  and  Dosha  are  relative  terms.  They  do  not  appertain  to  the 
thing  itself.  Sridhata}. 

Purity  (Suddhi)  or  Impurity  (AsOddhi),  Right  (Guna)  or 
Wrong  (Dosha),  Auspicious  (Subha)  or  Inauspicious  (Asubha)  are 
terms  applied  to  the  same  objects,  in  relation  to  religion  (Dharma), 
Society  (Vyavahara)  and  living  (YatrA),  respectively. 

I  have  explained  Achara  (rules  of  life)  for  those  that  want  to 
be  guided  by  Dharma  (Sanctional  religion).  (Shri  Krishna  refers  here 
to  the  works  of  Manu  and  other  Smriti  writers). 

The  body  of  all  beings  is  composed  of  the  five  elements 
(earth,  water  &c).  They  are  all  ensouled  by  Atma.  Though 
men  are  all  equal,  the  Vedas  give  different  names  and  forms  to  their 
bodies  (saying  this  is  Brahmana,  this  is  Sudra,  this  is  Grihastha,  this 
is  Sanyasi)  with  a  view  to  do  good  to  them.  (The  object  is  to  put 
a  limit  to  the  natural  inclinations  and  thereby  to  secure  Dharma, 
Artha,  Kama  and  Moksha  Sridhara).  Similarly  classification  is 
made  of  time,  space  and  other  things,  solely  with  the  object  of  regu 
lating  actions  (Karma.)  Thus  those  lands  are  impure  where  the  black 
deer  do  not  roam  (Details  are  not  given  for  which  read  the  original). 

"Those  that  perform  Yajna  attain  Svarga"  sayings  like  these 
do  not  speak  of  final  bliss.  They  are  only  tempting  words  really 
meant  for  the  attainment  of  Moksha,  just  like  words  said  to  a  child 
to  induce  him  to  take  medicine  (The  father  says ;  "  Eat  this  Nimba — 
a  bitter  drug.  I  shall  give  you  this  sweet  meat."  The  child  takes 
the  medicine.  But  the  sweet  meat  is  not  what  he  really  gets,  for  his 
real  gain  is  recovery  from  disease). 

From  their  very  birth,  mortals  are  attached  to  some  objects  of 
desire,  to  their  lives  and  powers  and  to  their  own  people.  But  these 
are  only  sources  of  misery  in  the  future.  Why  should  the  Vedas 
then  teach  attachment  to  such  things  ?  Some  wrong-minded  people  say 
so  without  knowing  the  purport  of  the  Vedas.  They  are  deluded  by 
the  performance  of  fire  sacrifices,  and  they  resort  to  Pitri  Yana  (*'.  e. 
they  are  drawn  to  rebirths  on  the  Earth  after  temporary  enjoyment 
of  Svarga).  They  do  not  know  their  own  abode,  which  am  I  as  seat 
ed  in  their  heartfrom  whom,  the  universe  proceeds.  Not  knowing  the 
real  meaning  of  the  Vedas,  they  worship  Indra  and  other  Devas  and 
perform  Yajnas  at  which  animals  are  sacrificed.  Para,  Pasyanti  and 
Madhyam&  remain  deep  and  unfathomable  like  the  ocean  and  only 


r  406  ] 

Vaikhari  becomes  manifest  in  the  Vedas  originating  in  Pranava  and 
appearing  through  the  letters  of  the  alphabet  and  the  Metres.  Even 
that  Vaikhari  is  not  properly  understood  by  men.  (The  Vedas  form 
the  sound  manifestation  of  Isvara.  That  sound  has  four  divisions. 
Pard,  which  finds  manifestation  only  in  Prana,  Pasyanti,  which  finds 
manifestation  in  the  mind,  MadhyamA  which  finds  manifestation  in 
the  Indriyas,  and  Vaikhari  which  finds  manifestation  in  articulate 
expression.  Those  who  have  mental  vision  can  only  find  out  the  first 
three.  But  the  Vedas  as  expressed  in  language  are  also  difficult  to 
understand.)  Further  details  are  given,  which  are  not  reproduced. 


THE  TATVAS. 
SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  22. 

Uddhava  asked  :  —  "  How  many  Tatvas  (elemental  principles) 
are  there  ? 

The  Rishis  give  the  number  differently." 
Srikrishna  replied  :  — 

The  discussion  about  the  number  is  useless.  The  principles 
are  interpenetrating.  Their  order  and  their  number  are  therefore 
differently  understood. 

Uddhava  asked  :  — 

Prakriti  and  Purusha  though  different  by  themselves  are  inter 
dependent.  They  are  never  seen  separately.  Atma  is  seen  in 
Prakriti  (body)  and  Prakriti  is  seen  in  Atma  (Where  is  then  the 
difference  between  body  and  Atma?) 

This  is  my  doubt. 
Srikrishna  replied  :  — 

Prakriti  and  Purusha  are  essentially  different. 

PRAKRITI  AND  PURUSHA. 

SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  22. 
i.    Prakriti  is  subject  to  manifestation. 

(2).     It  is  subject  to  transformation. 

(3).     It  consists  of  the  transformations  of  the  Gunas. 

(4).     It  is  various,  —  broadly  speaking  threefold,  Adhy^tma, 


[    407     ] 

Adhi-bhuta  and  Adhi-daiva. 

(5).     It  is  not  self  manifest. 

Atma  is  one,  immutable  and  self  manifest. 

Ahankara  is  at  the  root  of  all  doubt  and  delusion.  They  last 
as  long  as  the  mind  is* turned  away  from  me. 

RE-INCARNATION. 

SKANDHA  XL  CHAP.  22. 
Uddhava  asked  : — 

Those  that  are  turned  away  from  Thee  take  on  and  give  up 
bodies.  Tell  me  something  about  rebirth. 

Srikrishna  replied  : — 

The  mind  of  men  imprinted  with  karma  moves  with  the  five 
senses  from  body  to  body.  Atma  (under  the  denomination  of  "  I") 
accompanies  the  mind. 

The  mind  (after  death)  thinks  of  such  seen  and  unseen  objects 
as  the  karma  of  men  places  before  it.  It  awakes  (unto  those  objects, 
it  thinks  of)  and  fades  away  (in  respect  of  previous  objects).  The 
memory  (connecting  the  present  with  the  past)  dies  away  in  conse 
quence. 

When  one  loses  all  thoughts  of  one's  body  on  account  of  close 
application  to  another  object  (body),  through  some  cause  or  other, 
that  utter  forgetfulness  is  his  death.  (By  karma,  man  gets 
after  his  socalled  death  either  a  deva  body,  or  a  body  of  inflictions. 
In  the  former  case,  it  is  through  pleasure  and  desire  and  in  the  latter 
case,  through  fear  and  sorrow,  that  the  Jiva  utterly  forgets  his  former 
body.  That  is  the  death  of  the  Jiva  who  used  to  identify  himself 
with  the  former  body  and  not  the  destruction  of  Jiva  as  of  the  body. 
Sridhta. 

The  Deva-body  is  the  phenomenal  basis  of  the  Jiva  in  Svarga 
Loka.  The  body  of  inflications  is  the  astral  or  Kamic  body,  in 
BhCita,  Preta  and  Pisacha  Loka,  where  the  Jiva  uudergoes  inflictions. 
The  Jiva  identifies  itself  with  these  new  bodies  or  new  states  in  such 
a  way  as  to  forget  completely  it's  former  physical  body.  The  connec 
tion  with  the  former  body  is  thus  completely  cut  off  in  the  mind, 
This  is  the  death  of  the  Jiva  in  relation  to  its  previous  body,) 


[     408     ] 

The  birth  of  a  Jiva  is  the  acceptance  of  a  body  as  one's  own 
self.  It  is  even  like  dream  or  fancy.  In  dream  or  fancy,  a  man  does 
not  know  his  present  self  as  the  former  self  The  mind  by  its  applica 
tion  to  a  new  body  causes  a  birth  into  that  body,  and  the  ideas  of 
good,  bad  and  indifferent  crop  up  in  self. 

Though  a  father  may  have  neither  friend  nor  enemy,  he  is 
affected  by  the  connections  formed  by  his  vicious  son,  even  so  it  is 
with  Atma\  Growth  and  decay  are  happening  every  moment  in  the 
body.  But  they  are  hardly  perceptible  owing  to  the  extreme  subtlely 
of  time. 

The  burning  lamp,  the  flowing  current,  the  ripening  fruit,  pass 
through  stages,  as  all  beings  also  pass  through  the  stages  of  child 
hood,  youth  and  age.  We  say  it  is  the  same  fire,  it  is  the  same  water 
(though  the  particles  of  fire  and  water  are  continually  changing.) 
So  we  say,  it  is  the  same  man.  The  understanding  and  the  words 
of  ignorant  men  are  all  confounding  (for  they  speak  and  think 
assuming  that  the  same  body  continues).  But  even  the  ignorant 
man  does  not  acquire  birth  or  death,  by  Karma  engendered  by  self, 
for  the  self  is  immortal  and  the  notion  of  birth  and  death  is  itself  a 
delusion  with  reference  to  self.  Fire,  as  an  element  lasts  through 
out  the  Kalpa.  But  it  seems  to  come  into  existence  or  to  become 
extinguished.  Fecundation,  foetal  state,  birth,  childhood,  grown  up 
childhod,  youth,  ripeness,  age  and  death  are  the  nine  states  of  the 
body.  These  states  of  the  body  twhich  is  other  than  self  are  only 
fancies  of  the  mind  (so  far  as  self  is  concerned).  Some  accept  them 
as  their  own,  by  contact  with  Gunas  and  some  reject  them  to  some 
extent  (by  discriminating  knowledge).  From  the  death  of  the  body 
inherited  from  the  father  and  the  birth  of  another  child  body,  one 
can  infer  the  birth  and  death  of  his  body  only,  he  the  knower  not 
being  affected  by  either  birth  or  death.  The  seer  of  the  growth  and 
decay  of  the  tree  is  different  from  there  itself,  so  the  seer  of  the 
different  states  of  the  body  is  different  from  the  body  itself.  One  is 
bound  down  to  the  wheel  of  rebirths,  by  want  of  discrimination. 
One  becomes  Deva  or  Rishi  by  the  action  of  Satva,  Asura  or  man 
by  the  action  of  Rajas  and  Bhuta  or  animal  by  the  action  of  Tamas. 
As  a  man  seeing  the  performance  of  singers  and  dancers  involuntarily 
imitates  them  (in  the  mind)  even  so  Atma  follows  the  actions  of  Buddhi. 
The  tree  seems  to  move  when  the  water  is  moving.  The  earth  seems  to 
roll  when  the  eyes  are  rolling.  Births  and  rebirths  are  as  unreal  to 
Atma  as  are  dreams  but  they  have  an  existence  even  as  objects  in 
dream  have  an  existence  so  long  as  the  mind  thinks  of  those  objects, 


t  409  ] 

Whatever  others  may  say  or  do  unto  you,  do  not  care  the  least  about 
that,  but  with  single  minded  devotion  restore  self  by  self. 

Uddhava  said  : — 

Human  nature  is  human  nature,  O  Lord.     How  can  one  bear 
all  that  is  said  or  done  by  the  impious. 


FORBEARANCE. 
SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  23, 
Sri  Krishna  said  : — 

In  days  of  yore,  there  was  a  wealthy  Brahmana  in  the  Malava 
regions.  He  earned  money  by  the  evil  ways  of  the  world,  but  did 
not  spend  any  thing  on  charity.  In  time  the  wealth  was  all  gone.  He 
repented  and  felt  disgust  for  wealth.  He  renounced  the  world  and 
became  a  wandering  Bhikshu,  He  went  to  villages  for  alms.  People 
called  him  all  sorts  of  names  -  thief,  hypocrite  and  so  on.  Some 
pelted  ^im,  others  abused  him,  others  put  him  to  chains  and  con 
fined  him. 

He  bore  all  this  with  perfect  calm.  This  is  how  he  used  to 
reason  within  himself: — 

These  men,  the  Devas,  self,  the  planets,  Karma  and  Kala  (peri 
odicity)  none  of  them  is  the  cause  of  my  happiness  or  misery.  Mind 
is  the  one  cause,  which  causes  the  wheel  of  births  to  move.  They 
make  friends  and  enemies,  who  do  not  conquer  the  mind.  The  con 
nection  with  the  body  is  only  an  act  of  the  mind.  Deluded  men 
however  think,  this  is  my  body  and  they  go  astray. 

One  man  can  not  be  the  cause  of  grief  and  joy  to  another. 
Atma  in  all  men  is  not  the  doer.  All  acts  proceed  from  the  gross  and 
the  subtle  body.  If  the  tooth  bites  the  tongue,  who  shouid  you  be 
angry  at? 

If  the  Devas  (the  Adhidevas)  be  the  cause  of  sorrow,  it  is  not 
their  Atma  that  is  so  but  their  bodily  transformations.  And  the 
Devas  (who  guide  the  senses)  are  the  same  in  all  beings.  If  one 
limb  causes  pain  to  another  limb,  who  should  be  the  object 
of  anger? 

If  self  is  the  cause  of  joy   and    sorrow,   then  you  have  not  to 
look  to   the   outside  world.     But    every   thing  else  besides  Atma    is 
52 


only   a    seeming   existence.     Therefore  there  is    no  real  existence  of 
any  cause  of  joy  or  grief  and  there  is  no  py  or  grief. 

If  the  planets  by  their  position  at  birth  bring  about  joys  and 
sorrows,  then  no  body  is  to  blame  for  that.  And  the  planetary 
Purusha  is  separate  from  the  bodies  of  the  planets.  There  is  none 
to  be  angry  at.  Karma  can  not  be  the  cause  of  Joy  and  sorrow. 
Karma  has  its  sphere  in  which  there  is  both  a  conscious  and  an  uncon 
scious  element.  The  unconscious  element  undergoes  transformation  and 
the  conscious  element  in  search  for  the  desired  object  leads  to  action. 
But  the  body  is  absolutely  unconscious.  And  Purusha  (or  Self) 
in  man  is  absolutely  conscious.  There  is  no  root  of  Karma  either 
in  body  or  in  Purusha. 

Kdla  is  part  of  Atma,  for  Kala  is  an  aspect  of  Isvara.  Fire 
does  not  destroy  its  spark,  snow  does  not  destroy  its  flakes. 

One  who  is  awakened  to  his  real  self  has  fear  from  no  one 
else.  Purusha  has  no  connection  with  the  pairs  of  opposites.  (Cold 
and  heat,  happiness  and  misery  &c.) 


SANKHYA.  * 

SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  24. 

There  is  only  one  perception  and  one  undivided  object  of  per 
ception,  when  there  are  no  Yugas  (i.  e.  in  Pralaya),  in  Satya  Yuga,  as 
well  as  for  men  skilful  in  discrimination,  that  object  of  perception  is 
Brahman,  the  absolute  Truth,  beyond  the  reach  of  worlds  and  of 
mind.  I  became  two  fold,  by  means  of  Maya.  Of  the  two 
one  is  Prakriti  consisting  of  causes  and  effects.  And  the  other  is 
Purusha. 

Following  the  Karmic  record  of  Jivas,  I  disturbed  Prakrit!, 
and  Satva,  Rajas  and  Tamas  became  manifest.  The  Gunas  gave  rise 
to  Sutra  or  Thread  (which  represents  Kriya  Sakti).  Mahat  (Jnana 
Sakti)  is  not  separate  from  Sutra  (SCitra  and  Mahat  form  one  Tatva. 
It  is  two-fold,  on  account  of  its  double  aspect  of  Jnana  and  Kriy£  or 
knowledge  and  action). 

Ahankara  is  the  transformation  of  Mahat  It  is  three-fold, 
Satvic  or  Vaikaric,  Rajasic  or  Taijasa  and  Tamasic. 

The  Adhi-daivas  and  Manas  came  from  Satvic  Ahankara,  and 
the  5  Tanmatras  from  Tamasic  Ahankara..  The  five  Maha  bhtitas- 
came  from  the  five  Tanmatras, 


[     4H     ] 

Prompted  by  Me,  all  these  principles  united  together  to  form 
the  Egg  which  was  My  own  abode.  I  incarnated  in  that  Egg  which 
was  immersed  in  the  (Pralayic)  water  (as  Sri  Narayana  or  Virat 
Purusha). 

Out  of  my  navel  grew  the  Lotus  called  the  Universe.  Brahma 
was  manifested  in  that  Lotus. 

He  brought  into  manifestation  the  Lokas  (Bhur,  Bhuvar  &c.,) 
and  the  Lokapalas. 

Svar  was  the  abode  of  the  Devas,  Bhuvar  of  the  Bhutas,  Bhiir 
ofmen,  the  higher  Lokas  of  the  Siddhas  and  the  Lower  Lokas  of  the 
Asuras  and  Nagas. 

AH  actions  (Karma)  bear  fruits  in  the  Triloki.  Mahar,  Jana 
and  Tapas  are  attained  by  Yoga,  Tapas  and  Renunciation,  My 
abode  (Vaikuntha,  which  is  beyond  the  Seven  Lokas)  is  attained  by 
Bhakti  Yoga. 

All  beings  in  this  Universe  wedded  to  karma  are  made  by  Me, 
who  as  Kalaam  the  Dispenser  of  all  karma,  to  merge  out  of  or  to  dive 
down  in  the  flow  of  Gunas  (/.  e.  they  are  made  to  go  up  to  the  higher 
Lokas  or  to  come  down  to  the  lower  Lokas). 

All  things  big  or  small,  thick  or  thin  are  pervaded  by  Prakriti 
and  Purusha. 

That  which  is  at  the  beginning  and  at  the  end  of  a  thing  is 
also  at  the  middle,  as  in  the  case  of  ornaments  and  earth-pots,  the 
intervening  transformations  having  a  separate  existence  only  for  the 
sake  of  conventional  use  (thus  the  ornaments  of  gold  are  called  by 
different  names  only  for  temporary  uses.  But  they  are  gold  when 
the  forms  are  made  and  destroyed.  The  forms  are  all  transitory 
and  the  ornaments  are  essentially  gold). 

That  is  only  Real  which  gives  rise  to  the  original  transform 
ation,  which  is  at  the  beginning  and  at  the  end.  Prakriti  the 
material  cause,  Purusha — that  pervades  Prakriti  and  Kala  or 
periodicity  which  causes  disturbance  in  the  Gunas — these  are  three  in 
one  and  1  am  that  three-fold  Brahma.  The  creative  process  flows  on 
in  order  of  succession  without  a  break.  The  multifarious  creation 
unfolds  itself  to  serve  the  purposes  of  the  jivas  and  it  lasts  so  long  as 
the  period  of  Preservation  continues  and  so  long  as  Isvara  looks  at  it. 

The  order  is  reversed  in  Pralaya,  and  transformations  are 
merged  in  the  principles  from  which  they  proceeded.  The  body 
merges  in  to  the  food  grains.  The  food  grains  merge  in  to  the  roots 
of  plants.  The  roots  merge  into  the  earth.  The  earth  merges  into 


[      412      ) 

smell,  smell  yinto  water,  water  into  Taste,  Taste  into  fire,  fire  into 
Form,  Form  in  to  Air,  Air  into  Touch,  touch  into  Akasa  and  Akasa 
into  sound. 

The  Indriyas  merge  into  the  Adhi-daivas.  The  Adhi-daivas 
merge  into  the  Manas.  Manas  merges  into  Aha"nkara. 

Ahankara  merges  into  Mahat  (/.  e.  gives  up  the  unconscious 
portion  and  becomes  Jiva  Sakti  and  Kriya  Sakti  itself.  Sridhara.) 

Mahat  merges  into  the  Gunas. 

The  Gunas  merge  into  unmanifested  Prakriti.  Prakriti  merges 
into  Kala.  Kala  merges  into  Jiva.  Jiva  merges  into  Atma.  Atma 
rests  in  self. 

When  these  processes  are  meditated  on,  there  is  no  delusion, 


SATVA  RAJAS  AND  TAMAS. 
SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  25. 

Sama  or  Control  of  the  mind,  Dama  or  Control  of  the  Senses, 
forbearance,  discrimination,  tapas,  truthfulness,  compassion,  me 
mory,  renunciation,  contentment,  faith,  shame  and  charitableness  are 
the  attributes  proper  of  Satva.  Selfish  desire,  Selfish  exertion, 
pride,  discontent,  variety,  selfish-invocation  of  the  Devas,  idea  of 
separateness,  material  enjoyment,  love  of  excitement,  love  of  fame, 
derision,  power  and  violence,  are  the  attributes  proper  of  Rajas. 

Anger,  greed,  untruthfulness,  cruelty,  begging,  parading  of 
religion,  languor,  quarrel,  repentance,  delusion,  grief,  dejection,  sleep, 
helplessness,  fear  and  indolence  are  the  attributes  proper  of  Tamas. 

The  sense  of  I-ness  and  My-ness  is  produced  by  the  mixture 
of  the  three  Gunas  (I  have  Sama,  selfish  desire  and  anger.  My 
Sama,  selfish  desire  and  anger.  Thus  /  and  My  are  common  to  all 
the  three  Gunas.  Sridhara)  All  our  dealings  having  the  elements 
of  Manas  (  S^tvic  ),  the  Tanmatras  (  T^masic  ),  the  Indriyas  and  the 
Pr^nas  (  Rajasic  )  in  them,  proceed  from  a  mixture  of  the  three 
Gunas.  Devotion  to  Dharma  (  S^tvic  ),  K&ma  (  Rajasic  )  and  Artha 
(  Tamasic  ),  that  bears  the  fruits  of  faith  (  Satvic  ),  attachment 


t  413  ] 

(  Rajasic  )  and  wealth  (  Tamasic  )  is  also  based  on  a   mixture   of  the 
Gunas. 

The  performance  of  religion  for  the  gratification  of  desires 
(  Kamya  Dharma  which  is  Rajasic  ),  the  performance  of  the  duties 
of  married  life  (  Grihasta  Dharma  which  is  Tamasic  )  and  the  perfor 
mance  of  the  daily  and  occasional  duties  assigned  to  one's  position 
in  life  (  Svadharma  which  is  Sat  vie  )  are  based  on  a  union  of  the 
three  Gunns.  Man  is  Satvic,  when  he  has  got  the  Satvic  attributes. 
He  is  Rajasic  when  he  has  got  the  Rajasic  attributes.  He  is  Tamasic 
when  he  has  got  the  Tamasic  attributes. 

When  a  man  or  woman  worships  Me  with  unselfish  devotion 
and  by  the  performance  of  duties,  he  or  she  is  Satvic. 

The  person  who  worships  Me,  for  the  attainment  of  desires  is 
Rajasic. 

The  person  who  worships  Me  with  a  view  to  do  injury  to 
others  is  Tamasic. 

Satva,  Rajas  and  Tamas  are  attributes  that  grow  in  the  minds 
of  jivas,  they  are  not  My  attributes. 

When  Satva  prevails  over  the  other  two  Gunas,  man  acquires 
religiousness,  wisdom,  and  other  attributes,  as  also  happiness.  When 
Rajas  prevails,  it  causes  distraction,  attachment  and  a  sense  of  sepa- 
rateness.  Man  acquires  karma,  fame  and  wealth.  But  he  becomes 
miserable. 

When  Tamas  prevails,  delusion,  inaction  and  ignorance  follow. 

When  the  Mind  attains  calm,  the  senses  become  abstemious, 
the  body  free  from  fear  and  the  mind  free  from  attachments,  Satva 
grows  up  and  makes  it  easy  to  perceive  Me. 

When  the  mind  becomes  distracted  by  actions,  and  desires 
multiply,  when  the  senses  of  action  become  disordered  and  the  mind 
always  wanders  away,  Rajas  has  its  hold  over  man. 

When  the  mind  can  not  grasp,  when  it  languishes,  when  even 
desires  do  not  crop  up,  and  there  is  indolence,  melancholy  and 
ignorance,  they  all  proceed  from  Tamas. 

With  Satva,  the  Deva  element  prevails,  with  Rajas,  the  Asura 
element  prevails  and  with  Tarqas,  the  R£kshas  element  prevails. 

The  waking  is  from  Satva,  dream  from  Rajas  and  deep  sleep 
from  Tamas. 


[     4H     ] 

By  Satva,  people  go  higher  and  higher  up,  by  Rajas  they 
move  about  in  the  middle,  and  by  Tamas  they  move  lower  down. 

Satva  takes  one  to  Svarga  Loka,  Rajas  to  human  Loka  and 
Tamas  to  Naraka.  Those  who  are  void  of  Gunas  attain  Me. 

Actiovi  that  is  offered  up  to  Me  or  that  is  unselfish  is  Satvic. 
Selfish  action  is  Rajasa.  Heartless  action  is  Tamasa. 

Satvic  wisdom  is  that  which  relates  to  Atma,  as  separate  from 
the  body. 

Rajasic  is  half  perceived  wisdom.  Tamasic  is  wisdom  relating 
to  the  material  universe. 

Wisdom  centred  in  Me  is  Nirguna  or  without  Gunas. 

Satvics  like  to  reside  in  the  forest.     Rajasics  in  human  habita 
tions  and  Tamasics  in  gambling  houses.     Houses  where  I  am  worship 
ped  are  beyond  all  the  Gunas 
...........................     Births  are 

caused  by   Guna   and    Karma.     Those   who   conquer   these   become 
devoted  to  Me  and  attain  my  state. 

-  :o:  - 
COMPANY. 

SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  26. 

King  Pururavas  was  forsaken  by  Urvasi.  He  then  thought 
within  himself  what  the  body  of  a  woman  was  composed  of,  where 
its  beauty  lay,  and  the  origin  and  the  end  of  that  body.  "  Therefore" 
said  he  "  wise  men  should  not  associate  with  women  or  those  that  are 
addicted  to  women.  By  contact  of  the  senses  with  their  objects, 
mind  gets  disturbed,  not  otherwise.  What  you  have  not  seen  or 
heard  of  before  can  not  disturb  your  mind.  Let  not  the  senses 
indulge  in  objects  and  mind  will  attain  calm."  Keep  company  with 
Sadhus. 

Give  up  bad  company.  Acquire  from  the  Sadhus  devotion 
to  Me  and  you  shall  ultimately  attain  Moksha, 


KRIYA  YOGA  AND  IDOL  WORSHIP. 

r. 

SKANDHA  XI.    CHAP.  27. 
(The  details  will  not  be  interesting  to  the  general  reader), 


JNANA  YOGA. 
SKANDHA  XL    CHAP.  28. 

Do  not  either  praise  or  blame  other  men  and  their  actions. 
Look  upon  all  as  one,  pervaded  by  the  same  Prakriti  and  the  same 
Purusha.  By  criticising  others,  the  mind  is  directed  to  a  false 
channel  and  it  deviates  from  the  right  path.  What  is  good  or  what 
is  bad  of  Dvaita?  By  direct  perception,  reasoning,  self  intuition, 
and  scriptural  teachings,  know  every  thing  in  this  manifested  Uni 
verse  to  have  a  beginning  and  an  end  and  to  be  thus  unreal.  There 
fore,  free  yourself  from  all  attachments.  (The  ways  of  acquiring  dis 
criminative  knowledge  are  then  given  in  eloquent  terms  for  which 
read  the  original). 

Clearing  up  all  doubts  by  discrimination,  the  sage  should 
be  fixed  in  the  bliss  of  self,  having  abstained  from  every 
thing  else. 

The  body  of  gross  matter  is  not  Atma.  The  Indriyas,  their 
guiding  Devas,  Manas,  Buddhi,  Chitta  and  Ahankara  are  not  Atma. 
The  Bhutas,  the  Tanmatras  and  Prakriti  are  not  Atma.  These  do 
not  affect  the  seer.  Whether  the  clouds  gather  or  disperse,  what  is 
that  to  the  Sun. 

Akasa  is  not  affected  by  the  attributes  of  air,  fire,  water  and 
earth  nor  by  the  changes  of  seasons. 

The  immutable  is  not  affected  by  the  impurities  of  Satva, 
Rajas  and  Tamas,  however  often  they  may  cause  the  birth  and 
rebirth  of  the  Ahan  principle. 

But  still  (the  unliberated  sage)  should  avoid  contact  with  the 
Gunas.  He  should  by  firm  devotion  to  Me,  cast  off  all  attachments 
and  all  passions.  When  the  disease  is  not  properly  treated,  it  gives 
trouble  again  and  again.  So  when  attachments  are  not  completely 
removed  and  Karma  is  not  counteracted  they  trouble  the  imperfect 
Yogi. 

The  yogis  that  deviate  from  the  path  on  account  of  obstacles 
that  are  spread  out  for  them  by  the  Devas  through  men  (For  the 
Sruti  says  : — "  The  Devas  do  not  like  that  men  should  know  all  this 
Sridhara")  are  re-united  to  the  path  of  Yoga  in  a  better  birth 
through  the  practices  of  their  former  birth  


The  immature   Yogi    may    be    overpowered    by   diseases    and    other 
grievances  of  the  body.     He  should  overcome  some  of  them  by  Yoga 


[     416     ] 

concentration  (by  concentration  on  the  Moon,  the  Sun  and  others  he 
should  overcome  heat  cold  &c.,  Sridhara),  others  by  prescribed 
postures  accompanied  by  retention  of  breath  (diseases  caused  by 
gaseous  derangement  are  to  be  overcome  by  postures,  accompanied  by 
retention  of  breath),  and  some  others  by  Tapas,  Mantra  and  medicine. 
He  should  overcome  some  evils  by  meditating  on  Me,  by  taking  My 
name,  and  by  making  rehearsals  about  Me.  He  should  overcome 
other  evils  by  following  the  lords  of  Yoga. 

Some  practise  these  to  keep  themselves  young  and  free  from 
diseases,  solely  with  the  object  of  attaining  some  Siddhis.  This  is 
not  approved  of  by  good  people.  The  effort  is  fruitless.  The  body  has 
an  end.  True  in  following  the  path  of  Yoga,  the  body  sometimes 
becomes  free  from  diseases  and  infirmities.  But  the  Yogi  should  put 
no  faith  on  these  Siddhis. 

When  the  Yogi  gives  up  all  desires,  becomes  fixed  in  self-bliss, 
and  makes  Me  his  all  in  all,  he  is  not  overcome  by  obstacles. 


BHAKTI  YOGA. 
SKANDHA  XI.    CHAP.  29. 
Uddhava  said  : — 

This  path  of  Yoga  seems  to  Me  to  be  difficult  of  pursuit. 
Tell  me  O  Achyuta,  some  means  by  which  man  may  attain  perfec 
tion  without  such  exertion.  Generally  those  that  try  to  concentrate 
their  mind  become  tired  at  last,  being  unsuccessful  in  their  attempts. 
The  discriminating  sage  has  recourse  to  Thy  lotus-feet,  the  fountain 
of  all  bliss.  Tell  me  the  path  that  leads  to  Thee. 

Shri  Krishna  replied  : — 

Do  all  actions  for  Me  and  bear  me  in  mind  as  much  as  you 
can.  Offer  up  the  mind  and  all  thoughts  to  Me.  Be  attached  to  the 
duties  of  Bhagavatas.  Live  in  sacred  lands,  where  my  Bhaktas 
dwell.  Follow  what  they  do — see  Me  in  all  beings  as  well  as  in  self, 
pure  as  Akasa.  With  the  eye  of  pure  wisdom,  look  upon  all  beings 
as  my  existence  and  respect  them  as  such.  Brahmana  or  Chandala, 
stealer  or  giver,  big  as  the  sun  or  small  as  his  ray,  tender  hearted  or 
cruel,  the  sage  must  look  upon  all  alike.  Then  he  shall  have  neither 
rivalry,  nor  jealousy  nor  reproach  for  others.  His  egoism  shall  also 
be  gone.  Mind  not  the  ridicule  of  friends,  mind  not  the  bodily 
differences  that  may  cause  a  feeling  of  shame,  but  salute  even  horses, 


I  417  1 

Chandalas,  cows  and  asses.  As  long  as  you  do  not  learn  to  see  Me 
in  all  beings,  do  not  give  up  this  practice  in  speech,  'body  and  mind, 
There  is  not  the  least  chance  of  failure  in  the  Bhagavata  Path, 
Even  what  is  otherwise  fruitless  becomes  a  Dharma,  when  it  is  un 
selfishly  offered  up  to  Me.  There  is  no  higher  wisdom,  no  higher 
cleverness  than  this  that  the  Real  is  attained  by  the  Unreal,  the 
Immortal  is  attained  by  what  is  mortal.  This  is  the  essence  of  Brahma 
Vidya. 

-   Now  that  you  have  learned  all  this  give  it  unto  those  that  are 
deserving. 

Go  Uddhava  now  to  Badari  Asrama  and  follow  what  I  have 
said. 

THE  END, 

SKANDHA  XI.  CHAP.  30, 

Uddhava  went  to  Badari.  Srikrishna  advised  the  Yadus  to 
leave  Dvaraka.  Let  the  females,  children,  and  the  aged  go  to 
Sankha-Uddhara  and  let  us  go  to  Prabhasa."  The  Yadu  chiefs  went  to 
Prabhasa.  They  drank  the  wine  called  Maireya  and  got  intoxicated 
They  quarreled  and  fought  with  one  another.  They  snatched  the 
fatal  reeds  and  killed  one  another.  Rama  went  to  the  Sea-side  and 
by  practicing  Samadhi,  left  this  world.  All  was  now  over.  Sri  Krishna 
sat  under  an  Asvatha  tree  (religious  figX  A  huntsman  named  Jara 
took  Him  for  a  deer  and  pierced  him  with  a  spear,  formed  of  the 
fatal  pestle. 

The  huntsman  then  saw  Krishna  bearing  four  hands  and 
became  terrified.  "Fear  not"  said  Sri  Krishna  "you  shall  go  to  heaven." 
The  chariot  came  down  from  the  heaven  and  took  up  the  huntsman. 

Daruka,  the  charioteer  of  Srikrishna  traced  Him  to  the  spot. 

Sri  Krishna  asked  him  to  inform  all  friends  at  Dvaraka  of  the 
death  of  the  Yadu  chiefs,  the  disappearance  of  Rama  and  of  His  own 
state.  "  Do  not  remain  any  more  at  Dvaraka,  for  the  Sea  shall 
swallow  it  up.  Let  our  parents  and  all  others  go  to  Indraprastha 
under  the  protection  of  Arjuna." 

Daruka  saluted  Krishna  and  went  away. 

The  Garuda  marked  chariot  of  Srikrishna  came  from  high 
above.  BrahmS.  and  all  other  Devas  gathered  to  witness  the  scene. 

The  Lord  disappeared  from  the  earth  and  truth,  Dharma,   for 
bearance,  glory  and  Lakshmi  all  followed  Him. 
53 


f  418  ] 

There  was  great  rejoicing  in  the  heavens.  The  Devas  sang 
and  flowers  rained. 

Daruka  gave  the  information  to  Vasudeva  and  Ugrasena.  All 
came  to  see  the  place  of  the  occurrence,  Vasudeva  died  of  grief. 
Some  of  the  ladies  followed  their  husbands  t6  death.  Those  that 
remained  were  escorted  by  Arjuna  to  Indraprastha.  He  instajled 
Vajra  as  the  successor  of  the  Yadu  chiefs.  The  Pandavas  made 
Parikshit  their  successor  and  left  Indraprastha  for  the  Final  Journey. 

END  OF  THE  ELEVENTH  SKANDHA. 


t  419  ] 

THE  TWELVTH  SKANDHA, 
SKANDHA  XII.  CHAP.  2. 

When  the  present  Kali  Yuga  will  be  about  to  end,  Bhagavan 
will  incarnate  as  KALKI.  He  will  take  birth  at  Sambhal  as  the 
son  of  Vishnu-Yasas. 

On  His  advent,  Satya  Yuga  will  make  its  appearance.  The  Sun, 
the  Moon  and  the  Jupiter  will  then  enter  together  the  constellation 
of  Pushya.  (Jupiter  enters  the  constellation  of  Pushya  in  Cancer  every 
twejve  years,  and  there  may  be  a  conjunction  of  that  planet  with  the 
Sun  and  the  Moon  on  new  Moon  nights,  but  the'text  here  means  the 
entering  together  of  the  three.  Sridhara.) 

One  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years  will  expire  from 
the  birth  of  Raja  Parikshit  to  the  beginning  of  King  Nanda's  reign. 
(But  in  the  detailed  account  given  in  the  Bhagavata  Purana,  the 
period  comes  up  to  1448  years,  as  shewn  by  Sridhara.) 

Of  the  Seven  Rishis  (forming  the  constellation  of  the  Great 
Bear),  the  two  that  are  first  seen  to  rise  above  the  horizon  have 
through  their  middle  point  a  correspondence  with  some  constellation 
(in  the  Zodiac).  The  Rishis  remain  united  to  that  constellation  for 
one  hundred  mortal  years. 

At  present  (i.e.  when  Sukadeva  was  reciting  Bh^gavata  to 
Raja  Parikshit),  the  Rishis  are  united  to  Magha. 

[The  form  of  the  Great  Bear  or  the  constellation  of  the  Seven 
Rishis  is  given  below. 


6 

5 

X 

X 

X 

i 

X 

X 

X 

X 

7 

4 

3 

2 

Sridhara  gives  the  following  names  : — 

No.  i  is  Marichi. 

No.  2  is  Vasishtha  with  Arundhati. 

No.  3  is  Angiras. 

No.  4  is  Atri. 

No.  5  is  Pulastya. 

No.  6  is  Pulaha.    , 
No.  7  is  Kratu. 

"  Snch  being  the  configuration  of  the  Rishis,  the  two   that   are 
first    seen    to   rise   above   the  horizon    are    Pulaha  and  Kratu.     The 


[      420      J 

longitudinal  line  passing  through  the  middle  point  of  the  line  joining 
them  crosses  some  one  of  the  27  constellations,  Asvini,  Bharani  and 
others.  The  Rishis  have  their  position  in  that  constellation  for  one 
hundred  years."  Sridhata.  ] 

So  soon  as  the  Krishna  named  divine  body  of  Vishnu  ascended 
the  heavens,  Kali  entered  this  Loka.  As  long  as  the  Lord  of 
Lakshmi  touched  this  Earth  with  His  lotus  feet,  Kali  could  not  over 
take  the  planet.  (  While  Sri  Krishna  was  still  on  this  Earth,  Kali 
appeared  in  its  Sandhya  or  Dawn.  When  Sri  Krishna  disappeared, 
the  Sandhya  period  was  over,  and  the  period  proper  of  Kali  set  in 
Sridhara  ). 

The  Yuga  shall  become  darker  and  darker,  as  the  Seven  Rishis 
will  pass  on  from  Magha  to  PQrva-Ashadha,  i.  e.,  till  the  period  of 
king  Nanda.  (The  darkness  will  go  on  increasing  till  the  reign  of 
king  Pradyotana.  It  will  still  go  on  increasing  very  much  till  the 
reign  of  king  Nanda.  Sridhara. 

This  gives  us  a  cycle  of  1,000  years.  The  line  of  the 
Ecliptic  is  divided  into  27  constellations,  which  form  the  12  signs 
of  the  Zodiac.  Each  sign  of  the  Zodiac  contains  9  parts  of  these 
constellations,  if  each  constellation  be  divided  into  four  parts. 

Thus  Aries  contains  Asvini,  Bharani  and  ]^  Krittika  ; 
Taurus  contains  ^  Krittika,  Rohini  and  */%  Mrigasiras  ; 
Gemini  contains  ^  Mrigasiras,  Ardra  and  ^  Punarvasu  ; 
Cancer  contains  %  Punarvasu,  Pushya  and  Ashlesha  ; 
Leo  contains  Magha,  Purva  Falguni  and  J^  Uttar  Falguni  ; 
Virgo  contains  J^  Uttara  Falguni,  Hasta,  and  y2  Chitra  ; 
Libra  contains  Chitra,  Svati  and  ^  Visakha  ; 
Scorpio  contains  ^  Visakha,  Anuradha  and  Jyeshtha  ; 

Sagittarius  contains  MQla,  Purva  Ashadha  and  %  Uttara 
Ashadha  ; 

Capricornus  contains  ^  Uttara  Ashadha,  Sravana,  and  ^ 
Dhanishtha  ; 

Aquarius  contains  ^  Dhanishtha,  Sata-bhisha,  and  ^  Purva 
Bhadrapada  ; 

Pisces  contains  ^  Purva  Bhadrapada,  Uttara  Bhadrapada  and 
Revati. 

Abhijit  is  included  in  Uttarashadha  and  Sravana.  From 
Magha  to  Pftrva  Ashadha  there  are  eleven  constellations,  This  gives 
a  cycle  of  1,000  years. 


[      421      ] 

The  reference  to  king  Nancla's  reign  leaves  no  doubt  as  to  the 
cycle  being  one  of  1,000  years,  for  the  period  is  given  in  this  very 
chapter  as  1,115  years. 

The  lines  of  Kshatriya  kings  have  been  given  in  the  Purana. 
The  lines  of  Brahmanas,  Vaisyas  and  Sudras  are  to  be  similarly 
known. 

Devapi,  brother  of  Santanu  and  Maru  of  the  line  of  Ikshvaku 
are  now  waiting  at  Kalapa.  They  will  appear  towards  the  end  of 
Kali  Yuga  and  will  again  teach  Varna  and  Asrama  Dharma.  (They 
will  start  again  the  lines  of  divine  kings  which  came  to  an  end  in  the 
Kali  Yuga.  Sndhara.) 


PRALAYA. 
SKANDHA  XII.    CHAP.  4. 

Four  thousand  Yugas  form  one  day  of  Brahma.  This  is  also 
the  period  of  one  Kalpa,  during  which  fourteen  Manus  appear.  The 
night  of  Brahma  follows  for  an  equally  long  period.  The  three 
worlds — BhOr,  Bhuvar  and  Svar — then  come  to  an  end.  This  is 
called  Naimittika  Pralaya.  Drawing  the  universe  within  self,  Nara- 
yana  sleeps  at  the  time  over  Ananta  and  BrahmS.  sleeps  too.  (7VY- 
mitfa  is  cause.  Naimittika  is  proceeding  frome  some  cause.  This  Pra 
laya  proceedes  from  the  sleep  of  Brahma  as  a  cause). 

When  two  Pararddhas  of  years  expire,  the  seven  subdivisions  of 
Prakriti  (Mahat,  Ahankara,  and  the  five  Tanmatras)  become  subject 
to  dissolution.  (The  life  period  of  BrahmA  is  two  Parardhas).  This 
is  called  Prdkritika  Pralaya.  When  this  dissolving  factor  comes  in, 
the  whole  combination  known  as  the  Cosmic  Egg  breaks  up.  (As  the 
subdivisions  of  Prakriti  as  well  as  the  Cosmic  Egg  which  is  formed 
by  their  combination  become  all  dissolved,  this  Pralaya  is  called  Pra 
kriti  ka  Pralaya).  With  the  advent  of  this  Pralaya,  there  will  be  no 
rains  for  one  hundred  years.  Food  will  disappear.  People  will 
devour  one  another.  The  Sun  will  draw  in  moisture  from  the  seas, 
from  the  body,  and  from  the  earth,  but  will  not  give  it  back.  The 
fire  called  Samvartaka,  arising  from  the  mouth  of  Shankarshana, 
will  consume  the  Patalas.  Winds  will  blow  for  one  hundred  years, 
followed  by  rain  for  another  ,  hundred  years.  The  universe  will  be 
covered  by  one  sheet  of  water.  Water  will  draw  in  earth,  fire  will 
draw  in  water,  and  so  on  till  Pradhana  in  due  time  will  devour  all 
the  Gunas.  Pradhana  is  not  measured  by  time,  and  it  does  not 


[      422      ] 

undergo  transformation.  Beginningless,  endless,  unmanifested,  eter 
nal,  the  cause  of  all  causes,  without  diminution,  it  is  beyond  the 
reach  of  Gunas,  the  rootless  root,  that  passes  compehension,  like 
the  void. 

Jnana  is  the  ultimate  resort  of  Buddhi  (the  perceiver  or  know- 
cr),  the  Indriyas  or  senses  (perception,  knowledge  or  the  instruments 
of  perception  and  knowledge)  and  the  objects  (things  perceived  and 
known).  It  is  Jnana  alone  that  appears  in  this  threefold  form.  That 
which  is  subject  to  perception,  which  in  its  nature  is  not  separate 
from  its  cause,  and  which  has  both  beginning  and  end  is  no  real 
substance.  The  lamp,  the  eye  and  the  object  seen  are  not  different 
from  light  itself.  So  Buddhi,  the  senses  and  the  objects  are  not 
separate  from  the  one  Truth  (Brahman,  for  they  all  proceed  from 
Brahman),  but  Brahman  is  quite  separate  from  all  others.  Wakeful- 
ness,  dream  and  dreamless  sleep  are  all  states  of  Buddhi.  They  are  all 
transitory,  O  king.  The  diversity  appears  in  Pratyagatma  (the  separate 
self).  The  clouds  appear  and  disappear  in  space,  even  as  the 
universes  appear  and  disappear  in  Brahman.  Of  all  forms,  the  com 
mon  element  is  the  only  reality.  But  the  forms  seem  to  have  an 
existence  of  their  own  independently  of  the  primal  element,  The 
threads  that  form  the  cloth  look  separate  from  the  cloth  itself.  All 
that  appears  as  cause  and  effect  is  unreal,  for  there  is  interdependence, 
and  there  is  both  beginning  and  end. 

The  transformations  can  not  exist  without  the  light  of  Atma. 
If  they  are  self-manifest  however,  they  are  not  in  any  way  different 
from  Atma  itself. 

Do  not  think  Atma  is  many,  (as  there  is  Atma  in  every  be 
ing).  It  is  ignorance  to  think  so.  The  space  confined  in  a  pot  and" 
the  limitness  space  are  one  and  the  same,  even  so  the  sun  and  its 
image  in  water,  the  air  inside  and  outside. 

Men  call  gold  by  different  names,  according  to  the  different 
ornaments  it  forms.  So  the  language  of  the  Vedas  and  the  language 
of  ordinary  men  give  different  names  to  Bhagavan. 

The  cloud  that  is  generated  by  the  sun,  that  appears  by  the 
light  of  the  sun,  that  is  in  fact  rays  of  the  sun  so  transformed  stands 
between  the  eye  and  the  sun.  Even  so  Ahankara,  proceeding  from 
Brahman,  manifested  by  Brahman,  even  a  part  of  Brahman,  eclipses 
the  perception  of  Brahman  by  Jiva. 

When  the  cloud  disappears,  the  eye  perceives  the  sun.  When 
Ahankara,  the  upAdhi  of  Atma,  disappears  by  discrimination,  then 
the  Jiva  perceives  "  I  am  Brahman." 


[    423    ] 

When  by  discrimination,  such  as  this,  the  tie  of  unreal 
Ahankara  is  cut  as  under,  and  the  unfailing  perception  of  Atma  be 
comes  fixed,  it  is  called  Atyantika  Pralaya. 

(Atyantika  is  from  Atyanta  =  ati-f-anta,  the  very  last.  After 
this  Pralaya,  which  13  individual  and  not  general,  one  does  not  return 
to  life  in  the  universe.  It  is  the  final  liberation  of  a  man  from  the 
limitations  of  life  in  Brahmanda). 

Every  day  all  beings,  from  Brahma  downwards,  undergo 
according  to  some  seers  of  subtleties  states  of  beginning  and  end. 

These  beginnings  and  ends  are  caused  by  the  changes  in  states 
of  all  beings  subject  to  transformation,  changes  that  follow  the  flow 
of  time.  (One  does  not  grow  adult  or  old  in  one  day.  The  change 
must  be  going  on  constantly.  The  fruit  does  not  ripen  in  one  day. 
But  the  process  of  ripening  day  by  day  is  not  perceptible.  Water 
flows  in  a  continued  stream  but  the  water  particles  constantly  change 
at  a  given  space.  So  the  lamp  burns  and  the  flame  looks  one  and 
the  same  though  the  particles  that  ignite  do  constantly  change. 
Even  so  our  body  is  not  the  same  from  day  to  day.  There  is  a 
change  going  on  every  moment  of  our  life.  Particles  of  the  body 
are  rejected  every  day  and  they  are  replaced  by  new  particles.  There 
is  the  beginning  with  our  new  particles,  and  an  end  or  Pralaya  with 
the  old  particles.)  This  is  called  NITYA  Pralaya.  (Nitya  means 
constant). 

Pralaya  is  thus  fourfold  —  Nitya,  Naimittika,  Prakritika  and 
Atyantika. 

Such  are  the  stories  of  Bhagavat  as  related  in  the  Bhagavata 
Purana. 

Rishi  Narayana  first  related  the  Purana  to  Narada,  Narada 
related  it  to  Vyasa  and  Vyasa  to  Suka.  Suta  heard  the  Purana 
from  Sukadeva,  when  he  related  it  to  Raja  Parikshit,  and  he  ex 
pounded  it  to  the  assembly  of  Rishis  at  Naimisha,  headed  by 
Sounaka. 


[THOUGHTS  ON  PRALAYA. 

Prakriti  changes  its  forms  and  states.  The  body  disintegrates 
into  particles,  particles  into  molecules,  and  molecules  into  atoms, 
Solid  becomes  liquid,  liquid  becomes  gaseons  and  gaseous  becomes 
ultra-gaseous.  Life  manifests  itself  through  the  endless  varieties  of 


t  424  ] 

Prakrit!  and  becomes  manifold  in  its  manifestations,  The  hard 
mineral  matter  does  not  admit  the  mineral  life  to  be  expressed  in 
any  other  way  than  by  a  fixed  form.  The  more  plastic  vegetable 
matter  shews  vegetable  life  in  all  the  activities  of  life  and  growth. 
Subtler  matter  appears  in  the  animals  and  makes  the  sensing  of  the 
object  world  possible.  Even  sublter  matter  becomes  the  basis  of 
brain  activities.  The  Prakritic  basis  of  the  mind  is  two-fold  in  its 
character — Ahankara  and  Mahat.  When  the  mind  is  capable  of 
thinking  only  from  the  standpoint  of  one  life  and  one  birth  only,  it 
is  limited  by  Ahankara  matter.  When  that  limit  is  overcome, 
mind  is  on  the  plane  of  Mahat.  Individuality  is  not  lost,  but  the 
individual  has  consciousness  of  all  births,  i.  e.  consciousness  on 
the  plane  of  the  universe.  Such  consciousness  does  not  normally 
exist  in  Triloki.  When  a  man  becomes  normally  conscious  on  the 
plane  of  Mahat,  he  is  carried  to  Mahar  Loka  and  becomes  a  Rishi. 
Bhrigu  is  such  a  Rishi.  The  acquirement  of  such  consciousness  is 
the  object  of  life  evolution  in  our  solar  system.  When  the  solar 
system  is  destroyed,  it  is  the  Manasic  consciousness  that  alone 
survives.  The  three  Lokas — BhQr,  Bhuvar  and  Svar — are  destroyed. 
The  Prakritic  forms  and  states  of  these  three  Lokas  become  destroy 
ed  and  the  different  states  of  consciousness  corresponding  to  those 
forms  and  states  finally  disappear.  The  harvest  of  Manasic  evolu 
tion,  which  is  the  only  harvest  reaped  by  means  of  one  solar  system 
is  stored  in  Mahar  Loka.  But  when  the  three  lower  Lokas  are  des 
troyed,  the  flames  of  dissolution  reach  even  Mahar  Loka  and  all  the 
gains  of  a  Kalpa's  evolution  are  transferred  to  the  higher  plane  of  Jana 
Loka.  This  is  therefore  the  highest  plane  of  our  consciousness.  The 
highest  evolved  beings  of  the  previous  solar  system  could  not  after  Pra- 
laya  go  beyond  Jana  Loka,  and  their  consciousness  was  the  conscious 
ness  of  Jana  Loka.  When  our  earth  was  formed  and  when  they  came 
down  in  time  for  further  evolution,  they  brought  down  their  highest 
consciousness  with  them  as  a  possibility,  for  it  was  obscured  in  their 
entrance  to  Triloki.  As  the  soul  gathers  spiritual  strength  in  Svarga 
Loka  after  death,  so  the  disembodied  soul  after  'Prayala  gathers 
spiritual  strength  in  Jana  Loka  or  the  Loka  of  Kumaras.  "  When 
the  three  Lokas  are  consumed  by  fire  from  the  mouth  of  Sankar- 
shana,  afflicted  by  the  heat,  Bhrigu  and  others  go  to  Jana  Loka" 
III-II-XXX.  The  Lord  of  Yoga  goes  by  means  of  Sushumna 
through  the  radiant  path  in  his  subtle  body  and  at  last  reaches 
Mahar  Loka,  where  Bhrigu  and  other  Rishis  who  live  for  one  Kalpa 
remain.  "  Then  seeing  the  Triloki  consumed  by  fire  from  the  mouth 
of  Ananta  he  goes  towards  that  supreme  abode,  which  is  adorned  by 


t  425  ] 

the  chariots  of  great  Siddhas,  and  which  lasts  for  the  whole  life 
period  of  Brahma."     (II-2-XXVI). 

Those  who  did  not  reach  the  Manasic  state,  in  the  last  Kalpa 
were  no  acquisitions  to  the  higher  planes  of  Brahmanda,  which  stand 
over  the  three  mortal  planes,  where  all  experience  is  to  be  gathered. 
Those  who  developed  the  Manasic  state  were  gathered'  to  the  third 
of  the  higher  planes,  Jana  Loka,  because  further  development  was 
possible,  nay  it  was  a  necessity,  in  the  Triloki  that  was  to  come.  But 
there  were  others,  who  did  not  quite  reach  the  Manasic  state,  but 
they  were  still  on  the  way  to  acquire  such  state,  and  in  fact  'they 
acquired  the  human  form*  They  were  also  preserved  to  carry  out  a 
certain  purpose  in  the  life  evolution  of  the  coming  Kalpa  which  will 
be  shortly  mentioned.  How  they  were  preserved,  the  Puranas  do 
not  speak  of.  They  became  the  Pitris  of  the  present  Kalpa.  The 
Pitris  reached  different  states  of  development  and  were  therefore 
classed  under  seven  heads.  Some  of  them  had  developed  the  fire 
in  them  and  some  were  without  the  fire.  "  Agnishvatta,  Barhishad, 
Somapa,  and  Ajyapa  are  Pitris  with  fire  ;  the  others  are  without  fire. 
They  were  all  wedded  to  Svadha,  the  daughter  of  Daksha."  1  V-i-iii. 

The  mention  of  the  word  "  fire  "  requires  a  little  explanation. 
The  Upanishads  say  that  the  three  mortal  Lokas  of  form — Bhur, 
Bhuvar  and  Svar  are  the  transformations  of  "  Tejobanna "  i.  e.  of 
fire,  water  and  earth.  The  other  two  elements  do  not  enter  into  the 
constitution  of  forms.  The  element  earth  predominates  on  the  plane 
of  Bhur  or  the  material  plane.  Water  is  supreme  on  Bhuvar  or  the 
Astral  plane.  Our  Kamic  tendencies  proceed  from  the  presence  of 
water  in  us.  Fire  is  the  element  of  Svarga  or  the  Mental  plane. 
Fire  devas  are  therefore  the  highest  devas  of  Triloki.  The  forty-nine 
forms  of  fire  are  therefore  so  many  forms  of  consciousness.  Some 
of  the  Pitris  developed  fire  in  them,  /.  e.  they  developed  the  principle 
of  mind  in  them,  in  however  rudimental  a  form  it  might  be. 

Devas  and  Rishis  were  also  preserved,  Jana  Loka  is  the 
Loka  of  Kumaras.  We  shall  therefore  call  the  souls  preserved  in 
Jana  Loka  as  Kumaras,  or  Kumaric  souls. 

Commenting  on  the  fourth  sloka,  twelvth  chapter,  Third 
Skandha,  Sridhara  says  : — "Sanaka  and  others  are  not  created  in  every 
Kalpa.  The  mention  of  their  creation  has  reference  to  the  Brahma 
Kalpa,  i.  e.  the  first  Kalpa.  In  fact  the  objects  of  Mukhya  creation 
and  others  are  brought  into  existence  in  every  Kalpa.  Sanaka  and 
others  are  only  created  in  the  Brahma  Kalpa  and  they  follow  the 
other  Kalpas."  The  Mukhya  creation  has  reference  to  chapter  10. 
54 


[    426    ] 

Skandha  III.  It  is  the  same  as  Urdha  Srotas  (p.  25).  Sridhara 
means  to  say  that  plants,  animals  and  men  are  only  created  in  every 
Kalpa. 

The  Kumaric  souls  of  the  last  Kalpa  that  went  to  Jana  Loka 
have  to  play  the  most  prominent  part  in  the  present  Kalpa  ^and  they 
are  the  heroes  of  our  solar  system.  Their  stay  at  Jana  Loka  was  only 
a  fitting  preparation  for  the  most  responsible  work  of  the  present  Kalpa. 
The  Isvara  of  our  system,  addressing  Puranjana,  said  : — "  Wish 
ing  to  have  an  abode,  drawn  to  earthly  enjoyments,  thou  didst  leave 
me.  But,  o  great  one,  both  I  and  thou  were  swans  (Hansa)  and 
friends  in  the  Manas  Lake.  We  dwelt  there  without  any  abode,  .for 
one  thousand  years."  IV.  28  liv.  "  One  thousand  years"  is  indicative 
of  Pralaya,  which  lasts  for  one  thousand  yuga  cycles.  In  Pralaya, 
the  kumaric  soul  had  no  body  /.  e.  no  abode.  The  body  separates 
Jiva  from  Isvara.  Without  the  impediment,  the  obstacle  of  the  body, 
without  any  obscuring  agency,  the  Jiva  meets  Isvara  face  to  face  in 
Jana  Loka,  and  being  both  essentially  alike  become  friends.  Narada 
says,  esoterically  the  Manasa  Laka  is  the  heart  and  Hansa  means 
the  pure.  But  in  Pralaya,  the  heart  of  the  Jiva  is  in  Jana  Loka, 
which  is  the  Manasa  or  mental  Lake.  This  friendly  union  of  Jiva 
and  Isvara  gives  all  the  promise  of  the  future  for  the  Jiva. 

What  is  not  preserved  in  Naimittika  Pralaya,  the  forms  of 
the  past  kalpa,  are  all  borne  in  the  mind  of  Brahm^  as  images.  It  is 
the  mind  of  Brahma  that  reproduces  the  forms  of  the  previous 
creation.  The  image  of  all  that  was  remains  in  the  mind  of  Brahma. 
Creation  in  Brahma  Kalpa  is  not  the  same  as  creation  in  the  succeed 
ing  Kalpas.  In  Brahma  Kalpa,  all  the  seven  Lokas,  and  the  dwellers 
of  all  the  planes  are  created.  In  the  succeeding  Kalpas,  the  three 
Lokas  and  their  dwellers  only  are  created. 

The  Naimittika  Pralaya  comes  on,  as  Brahm£  sleeps. 

This  Pralaya  corresponds  to  our  physical  death.  When  we 
die,  the  body  is  destroyed.  Just  as  when  the  universe  bodied 
Brahma  goes  to  sleep,  His  Triloki  body  is  destroyed.  Men 
go  after  death  first  to  Bhuvar  Loka,  and  then  to  Svarga  Loka.  At 
Pralaya,  the  Manasika  Jivas  first  go  to  Mahar  Loka  and  then  to  Jana 
Loka. 

The  Naimittika  Pralaya  affords  the  greatest  relief  to  Jivas. 
It  makes  up  for  all  the  ups  and  downs  of  manifested  life,  for  all 
miseries,  all  sorrows,  all  sufferings  and  all  disappointments.  Isvara 
can  do  more  for  Jivas  in  Pralaya,  than  in  manifestation.  He  gives 
company  to  those,  who  by  their  advancement  reach  Jana  Loka, 


I  42;  ] 

There  is  the  Isvara  of  our  system  or  Brahmanda  and  there  is 
the  Isvara  of  many  systems. 

The  Isvara  of  many  systems,  "  Bhagavan  Himself"  is  the 
First  Purusha.  He  is  the  manifestor  of  the  Tatvas,  the  first  Prin 
ciples,  the  Karan  or  tausal  creation,  which  enter  into  the  constitution 
of  all  the  solar  systems  or  Brahmandas.  When  He  wishes  to  be 
come  many,  to  appear  through  many  manifestations,  to  bring  up  all 
unto  Himself  and  His  own  state,  through  ceons  and  ceons  of 
cosmic  manifestation,  though  it  might  be,  the  Tatvas  start  forth  into 
activity  and  form  an  ocean  by  themselves.  Many  solar  systems  are 
evolve^  out  of  this  Karan  Samudra  or  the  ocean  of  the  causes  and 
each  system  gets  its  Isvara,  the  Second  Purusha.  That  Second 
Purusha  becomes  three  fold — Brahma,  Vishnu  and  Siva, — for  the 
Creation,  Preservation  and  Dissolution  of  His  own  Universe.  He 
is  Virat  Purusha  or  the  universe  bodied,  Narayana  seated  on  the 
waters  of  Karana  Samudra,  and  Sahasra — Sirsha  Purusha  or  the 
thousand  headed  Purusha  of  the  Upanishads.  "All  this,  the  past, 
present  and  future  is  this  Purusha.  The  universe  is  pervaded  by  Him 
As  Prana  (7.  e.  the  sun,  for  Prana  is  the  solar  deity  accor 
ding  to  the  Sruti  Sridharci]  by  illumining  his  own  circle  illumines  the 
outside  as  well,  so  Purusha  by  illumining  his  Virat  body  illumines 

the  inside  and  outside  of  this  Brahmanda  as  well I  (Brahma) 

create  by  His  direction,  Siva  destroys,  under  His  control,  as  Vishnu, 
He  preserves  this  universe He  is  the  primal  Avatara." 

II.  6. 

* 

"  First  of  all,  Bhagavan  took  form  as  Purusha  for  the  creation 
of  the  Lokas — form  made  by  Mahat  and  others,  having  16  parts. 
(Mahat  and  others — Mahat,  Ahankara,  and  the  Tanmatras.  16  parts 
the  eleven  Indriyas  and  the  5  elements.  Though  this  is  not  the  form 
of  Bhagavan  meaning  the  First  Purusha  still  for  the  Upasana  in 
Virat  form  of  the  Virat  Purusha  who  indwells  all  Jivas,  this  is  given 
Sridhata}.  (In  the  Padma  Kalpa),  Brahma,  the  Lord  of  Prajapatis, 
appeared  in  the  lotus  that  rose  out  of  the  navel  of  (this  Purusha), 
who  while  lying  down  on  the  ocean,  spread  the  sleep  of  Samadhi  all 
round.  The  Lokas  are  but  parts  of  His  body.  His  form  is  pure  and 
intensified  Satva.  The  Yogins  perceive  Him  by  their  vision  of  wis 
dom,  as  one  looking  wonderful  with  a  thousand  feet,  thighs,  hands 
and  mouths,  with  a  thousand  heads,  ears,  eyes  and  noses,  glittering 
with  a  thousand  crowns,  and  ornaments.  This1  (Virat  Purusha)  is  the 
immutable  seed  and  final  resort  of  the  many  Avataras.  Brahma  is 
His  part.  Marichi  and  other  Prajapatis  are  parts  of  Brahma.  So 


[    428    ] 

through  parts  of  His  part,  Devas,  animals  and  men  are  created.  (He 
does  not  appear  and  disappear  like  other  Avataras,  He  is  the  end 
not  only  of  the  Avataras,  but  of  all  beings.  Sridhara.} "  I-j. 

Brahma^  appeared  in  the  lotus,  It  is  said,  in  the  last  Kalpa, 
which  from  this  event  is  named  PSdma  Kalpa.  How  BrahmS 
appeared  out  of  N^r^yana  in  the  previous  Kalpas  is  not  given.  That 
he  appeared  in  our  Kalpa  in  the  same  way  as  in  the  last  Kalpa  is 
evident,  as  no  difference  is  noted.  BrahmS  took  up  the  creation,  which 
was  two-fold — direct  or  Manasa  and  indirect  or  through  Praja- 
patis  and  Manu.  The  creation  or  bringing  into  manifestation  of  those 
that  had  been  preserved  at  Pralaya  is  direct  or  Manasa.  The  mind 
born  sons  of  Brahm&  took  up  positions  in  the  universe  of  duty  and  res 
ponsibility  and  in  this  Kalpa  they  have  not  to  look  to  themselves,  but 
to  others.  Their  own  evolution  is  not  a  matter  of  their  concern.  The 
innumerable  Monads  were  created  through  Manu  and  the  real  history 
of  the  Kalpa  is  the  history  of  their  evolution. 

First  there  was  the  process  of  involution.  There  was  no  form 
and  forms  had  to  be  first  brought  forth.  Limitation  after  limitation 
had  to  the  imposed,  to  chain  life  in  forms.  For  when  set  forms  were 
arrived  at  with  set  organs,  Jivas  could  be  trusted  with  independent 
action. 

No  energy  is  spent  in  vain  in  the  economy  of  the  universe. 
Each  monadic  flow  as  it  appeared  in  the  universe  could  he  carried  on 
to  a  certain  stage,  by  one  common  guiding  influence.  This  requires  a 
little  explanation. 

Each  particle  of  each  Tatva  is   alive.     The  Tatvic  Fife  is  the 
life  of  the  ist  Purusha.     But  the  particles  combine,  and  the  power  of 
combination  proceeds  from  the  life  of  the  second  Purusha,  the   Isvara 
of  our  system.     Every  combination   however  large  has  the  life    of 
Isvara  in  it  and  it  is  that  life  which  keeps  up  the  combination.     Each 
combination  for  the  time  being  has  its  ruler,  who  is  the  viceroy  of 
Isvara,  and  who  is  called  the  Monad  of  that  combination.     Monad  is 
Jivatma  or  Jiva  Atma  or  Atma  as  limited  by  every  Jiva. 

The  combination  transforms,  but  the  Monad  remains  constant. 
The  vegetable  becomes  animal,  and  the  animal  becomes  man,  but  one 
Monad  runs  through  all  these  transformations. 

By  rulership  over  higher  and  higher  combinations  the  Monad 
or  Jivatma,  ultimately  approaches  the  state  of  Isvara  Himself  and 
that  is  the  goal  of  evolution  in  this  universe. 


Whenever  a  combination  is  formed,  there  is  one  life  governing 
that  combination — the  life  of  the  ruler  of  that  combination.  All 
other  lives  have  to  surrender  themselves  completely  and  entirely  to 
that  one  life.  This  is  the  law  and  we  have  to  bow  down  our  heads 
to  the  inevitable.  There  is  life  in  every  cell  that  composes  the 
human  body.  But  the  cell  lives  are  all  subordinated  to  the  life  of 
the  man,  the  Jivatma  ruling  the  combination  that  forms  the  man. 
So  long  as  the  cell  is  attached  to  the  human  combination,  it  has  no 
independence  whatsoever.  And  this  is  to  the  immense  benefit  of  the 
cells  themselves.  They  receive  the  impress  of  souls  much  more 
evolved  than  their  own  and  are  able  to  evolve  themselves  at  a  much 
more  rapid  rate,  than  if  they  had  been  left  to  themselves.  This  is 
the  law  of  giving  and  taking,  the  law  of  sacrifice,  the  Yajna  which 
is  the  essence  of  creation.  And  even  as  men  approach  the  state  of 
Isvara,  they  have  to  surrender  themselves  completly  to  Him  and  to 
merge  themselves  in  His  existence. 

The  Jivic  or  Monadic  flow  first  appears  on  the  plane  of  Svarga, 
it  comes  down  to  Bhnvar  and  then  to  Bhur,  to  appear  finally  in  the 
mineral  Kingdom  of  our  Earth.  This  process  of  coming  down  does 
not  require  separate  guidance  for  separate  combinations.  The  down 
ward  flow  is  homogeneous.  It  is  carried  on  under  the  guidance  of 
the  Prajapatis.  It  is  aH  involution  during  this  process — taking  in 
grosser  and  grosser  matter  and  not  rejecting  anything.  Rudra  had 
no  work  to  do  during  the  earliest  stages  of  monadic  life.  The  mine 
ral  Kingdom  appeared  and  the  Himalayan  chain  reared  up  its 
head.  The  legend  says  the  sons  of  Himalaya  had  wings  on  and 
they  could  move  about  but  the  Devas  cut  down  their  wings  and  they 
became  fixed.  No  doubt  the  mineral  Kingdom  hardened  and  became 
immobile  in  time.  The  immobility  of  the  mineral  Kingdom,  the 
final  reach  of  matter  in  its  downward  course  was  the  turning 
point  in  the  life  history  of  Jivas.  Their  foetal  stage  was  over  and 
they  were  now  born  into  the  Kalpa,  as  it  were. 

There  was  need  for  separation  now,  for  the  rejection  of  par 
ticles  and  the  drawing  in  of  new  ones,  and  Durga  appeared  as  the 
daughter  of  Himalaya. 

She  became  wedded  to  Siva  once  more  and  since  then  there 
was  change  continually  going  on  in  all  forms  of  life,  that  evolved  out 
of  the  mineral  Kingdom.  There  was  continual  adjustment  of  external 
and  internal  conditions,  called  life.  The  vegetable  appeared,  the 
animal  appeared  and  the  man  appeared.  The  life  process  means 


[     430     ] 

continual    transformation.     Forms  changed   and   dissolved.     Change 
is  continually  going  on  all  round  and  is  called   Nitya  Pralaya. 

During  the  transformation  that  goes  on,  combinations  are 
guided  by  rulers,  who  are  the  Pitris.  They  lead  the  combinations 
on  till  the  hliman  form  is  reached.  When  the  human  form  is  reached 
each  combination  is  a  man.  The  highest  of  the  Pitris  can  give  only 
germinal  Manas.  When  the  Pitris  give  to  the  combination,  all  that 
they  could  give,  their\vork  is  over,  for  this  Kalpa. 

Then  come  the  Kumaric  souls,  the  Puranjanas  from  the  Manasa 
Laka  (P.  89).  They  find  the  abode  ready  made  and  leaving  their 
friend  and  companion  they  enter  their  chosen  abodes.  There  are 
nine  gate  ways  in  that  abode,  and  every  enjoyment  reaches  Puranjana 
through  those  gate  ways.  He  becomes  mad  in  the  pursuit  of  enjoy 
ments.  He  forgets  himself.  He  forgets  his  friend  the  eternal  compa 
nion  of  Jiva.  He  identifies  himself  with  the  abode.  He  thinks  that 
he  is  inseparable  from  that  abode.  So  he  goes  on  and  on  hopelessly 
in  his  course  of  riotous  joy  and  the  Friend  whom  he  forgets  gives  him 
rebuff  for  every  joy  that  he  meets.  The  rebuffs  at  last  make  him  a 
little  attentive.  The  friend  then  speaks  through  the  Vedas,  the 
Smritis,  through  sages  and  at  last  He  comes  down  Himself  as  an 
Avatara.  „ 

The  Eternal  Friend  first  allows  Puranjana  to  run  on  in  the 
midst  of  enjoyments,  just  as  he  likes.  If  he  goes  beyond  the  limits 
of  temperance  and  moderation  he  gets  some  unpleasant  experience. 
If  he  does  something  wrong,  he  feels  the  painful  consequence.  The 
sting  of  pain  makes  Puranjana  ponder  over  what  he  does.  He 
registers  the  pleasurable  and  painful  experiences  and  reasons  about 
the  causes  and  effects.  He  tries  to  know  what  is  right  and  what  is 
wrong. 

With  the  power  of  discrimination  in  its  infancy,  with  the 
"enjoyment"  nature  or  the  self-seeking  Asuric  element  too  strong 
in  him,  Puranjana,  the  Kumaric  soul,  is  helpless.  He  is  drifted  away, 
though  sometimes  much  against  his  will. 

The  Friend  comes  to  the  rescue.  The  Devas  and  Asuras  com 
bine  and  with  their  joint  efforts,  the  ocean  of  Milk  is  churned,  and 
the  Goddess  of  Evolution,  the  Energy  of  Vishnu,  makes  Her  divine 
appearance  in  our  universe.  The  Dev*as  become  more  than  a  match 
for  the  Asuras.  The  Vaivasvata  Manvantara  steps  in,  the  Manvan- 
tara  teeming  with  the  fate  of  man  and  of  the  universe. 


! 

!  svara,  the  eternal    friend  of   Puranjana,  is   most   busy  in  the 
:a   Manvantara,     Every    effort    is  made    to    raise    humanity 
higher  level  and  to  open  out  all  the  possibilities  of  man. 

First,  the  enjoyments  of  Svarga  are  held  out  before  the 
vision   of   men    as  an   allurement.     Man   admires  those  enjoym 

;nakes  every  effort  to  attain  them.     The  Vedic  sacrir;  eal- 

ed  to  Pururavas,  who  becomes  mad  after  Urvasi,  the  nymph  of  Svarga. 
Later  on,  the  heavenly  cow,  Surabhi,  attracts  Visvamitra.     And  he 
becomes  the  chief  actor  in  the  promulgation  of  Vedic  sacrifice.     In 
the  firmness  of  resolve,  in  the  bold  and  determined  pursuit  of  objects, 
;vthein   to  lerance  of  inferiority,  Visvamitra  stands  prominently 
,3  an  example  to  humanity,  for  all  ages  to  come  and  it  is  meet 
roper  that  in  the  next  Manvantara,  he  will  act    as   one  of  the 
sages  guiding  the  affairs  of  the  universe. 

The  Karma  Kanda  of  the  Vedas  is  a  monument  of  Visva- 
mitara's  gigantic  efforts  for  the  good  of  humanity.  Isvara  made 
revelations.  He  prompted  the  sages. 

If  the  Karma  Kanda  holds  out  the  allurements  of  Svarga 
life,  it  lays  down  rules  and  restrictions  at  the  same  time,  that  regulate 
md   beget  temperance   and   moderation.  Meritorious  acts  are  en- 
(1  and  acts  that  retard  evolution  are  prohibited.     Men  do  what  is 
ncl  what  is  evil,  that  they   may  attain   heavenly  things. 
,    do  what  is  right   and    shun  what  is  wrong,  not  because  that  is 
the  I^aw,  the  divine  will,  but  because  it  gives  them  some  reward. 
All  the  same,  the  mind   is  trained,  the  man  curbed  and  regulated. 
The  bitter  pill  is  taken  and  if  the  child  thinks  that  it  is  for  the  sweet 
meat  he  is  only  mistaken.     When  the  child  grows  he   knows,  that  he 
takes  the  bitter  pill  as  it  is  the  law  of  nature  that  he  should  do  so.     1  >c> 
what  Is  right,  because  that  is  the  law.     Shun  what  is   wrong,   be< 
it  is  against  the  law.     We  are  all  carried  forward  by  the  law,  and  we 
must  willingly  give  ourselves  up  to  that  law.     When  we   do-  that,  we 
partake   ourselves   of  divine   life.     The  ground  had    to  be   prepared 
for  further  teachings. 

Events  in  Svarga  foreshadow  and  forestall  events  that  are  to 
transpire  on  the  earth,  The  Devas  and  Asuras  by  their  mutual  fight 
in  Svarga  bring  about  a  state  of  things  which  casts  its  shadow  on 
the  earth  below. 

Two  great  events   happened   in  Svarga — the  killing  of  V 


[    432    ] 

Vritra,  though  an  Asura  was  a  votary  of  Sankarsharia,  the 
Shankara  aspect  of  Vishnu.  Vritra  was  great  in  all  rospects  and 
his  wisdom  extracted  the  admiration  of  Indra,  But  he  represented 
the  idea  of  personal  self  in  Jiva,  which  is  so  strong-rooted,  and  which 
is  the  hardest  thing  to  over  come.  Vritra  was  killed  by  a  weapon, 
which  is  no  other  than  the  most  willing  and  ready  sacrifice  of  personal 
self  by  Dadhichi. 

Bali,  the  Asura  king,  ungrudgingly  gave  all  that  he  had  to 
Vamana.  The  Asura  had  become  so  great  both  in  intellect  and  in 
spirituality,  that  there  was  no  question  of  killing  him  or  of  his  being 
overpowered  by  the  Devas.  The  Asuras  and  Devas  both  combined 
to  make  Svarga,  the  store-house  of  spiritual  life.  The  Asuras  by 
their  willing  surrender  permitted  the  Devas  to  have  entire  hold  of 
Svarga.  By  this  sacrifice,  they  established  their  indisputable  right 
to  Svarga,  in  the  broad  dispensation  of  providence  and  in  the  suc 
ceeding  Manvantara,  Bali  is  to  become  the  Indra  of  the  Devas. 

Vamana  was  the  same  as  Lord  Sri  Krishna  on  our  earth.  If  dip 
lomacy  had  succeeded  so  easily  below  as  above,  if  the  Asura  chiefs  on 
earth  had  behaved  as  splendidly  as  Baii  in  Svarga,  the  horrors  and  heart 
rending  scenes  of  Kurukshetra  could  have  been  avoided.  The  same 
result  was  however  brought  about  in  Svarga  as  it  was  subsequently 
brought  about  on  the  Earth.  The  actor  was  the  same,  the  diplomacy 
was  the  same,  only  the  result  of  diplomacy  was  different  on  the 
different  planes.  The  deposition  of  Bali  was  bloodless  while  the 
deposition  of  DuryodhanaVas  a  bloody  one. 

.    Coming  down  to  Earth  let  us  see  how  events  in  Svarga  were 
followed  up  on  the  terrestrial  plane. 

Two  great  human  Avataras  came,  one  the  ideal  and  the  other 
the  apostle  of  unselfishness.  But  we  must  take  a  running  survey  of  the 
Avataras  as  a  whole. 

Vishnu  appeared  on  Earth  Himself,  through  His  direct  mani 
festations  called  Avataras.  Ten  of  them  have  been  specially  picked 
out  as  Great  Avataras,  though  no  specification  has  been  made  in  the 
Bhagavata  Purana. 

There  were  three  great  Asuric  movements  in  this  Kalpa, 
caused  by  the  three  successive  incarnations  of  Jay  a  and  Vijaya.  And 
these  gave  our  four  great  Avataras. 

Hiranyaksha  was  killed  by  Varaha,  Hiranyakasipu  was  killed 
by  Nrisinha.  Ravana  and  Kumbhakarna  were  killed  by  Rama.  Sisu- 
pala  and  Dantavakra  were  killed  by  Sri  Krishna.  Kurma  was  a  great 
Avatara  as  He  prepared  the  way  for  the  spiritual  regeneration  of  the 
universe,  by  the  Churning  of  the  ocean  of  Milk. 


[    433    ] 

Vamana  was  a  great  Avatara  as  He  reclaimed  the  Triloki  from 
the  Asuras, 

Parasurama  and  Buddha  did  work,  which  revolutionised  the 
whole  humanity. 

Kalki  will  give  the  final  blow  to  the  Asuric  element  in  us. 

Matsya  is  important  with  reference  to  our  own  Manvantara. 
Every  Manvantara  is  followed  by  a  deluge,  which  destroys  the 
existing  continents  and  swallows  up  all  living  beings,  When  the 
last  Manvantara  was  over,  our  Manu  saved  the  germs  of  creation 
with  the  help  of  Matsya.  Opinion  is  divided  as  to  whether  there  is 
Pralaya  after  every  Manvantara.  The  Bhagavata  Purana  says  when 
there  was  deluge  (sanplava)  following  the  Chakshusha  Manvantara, 
Vishnu  assumed  the  form  of  Matsya.  Commenting  on  this,  Sridhara 
says  there  is  no  Pralaya  at  the  end  of  a  Manvantara.  There  may 
not  be  such  a  Pralaya  at  the  end  of  a  Manvantara  as  happens  at  the 
end  of  a  Kalpa.  But  other  Puranas  speak  of  some  sort  of  Pralaya 
on  the  expiry  of  every  Manvantara.  Surya  Siddhanta,  the  renowned 
work  on  Astronomy,  also  says  : — "There  is  a  period  called  Sandhi 
(the  meet  between  two  Manvant  ras)  measured  by  the  period  of  one 
Satya  Yuga,  followed  by  another  Manvantara.  There  is  deluge  by 
water  then." 

The  Avataras  of  Vishnu  infuse  more  and  more  of  Satva  into 
men,  that  they  may  become  Satvika.  Increasing  Satva  put  down 
Rajas  and  Tamas  in  man  and  makes  him  divine. 

But  of  all  these-  Avataras  two  stand  out  most  prominently 
one  the  ideal  and  the  other  the  apostle  of  unselfishness.  The  bright 
est  luminary  of  the  solar  line  held  out  in  His  life,  an  example  of 
unselfishness,  of  purity  of  character  and  of  scrupulous  regard  to  duty, 
an  example  that  is  the  admiration  of  all  people  in  all  ages,  as  perfect 
as  the  limits  of  humanity  will  allow  and  as  elevated  as  the  loftiest 
ideal  of  human  character  may  be,  unsurpassed  in  its  pathetic 
grandeur,  unrivalled  in  the  ^straight  forward  pursuit  of  duty  along  a 
most  thorny  and  uneven  path.  The  divine  founder  of  Dvaraka  of 
the  Lunar  line  asserted  Himself  as  the  supreme  Isvara,  He  took  up 
the  reins  of  Triloki  in  His  own  hands,  the  Devas  installed  Him  as 
the  king  of  Svarga  or  Govinda,  and  men  on  earth  had  now  to  look 
up  to  Him  only  and  riot  to  the  Devas  for  their  guidance.  For  men 
had  now  to  pass  the  limits  of  Triloki,  and  the  friend  of  Puranjana 
came  down  Himself  to  hold  out  the  torch  of  divine  light.  Sri 
Krishna  laid  down  the  triple  path  of  Karma,  Bhakti  and  Jnana,  and 


f    434    1 

shewed  the  relative  importance  of  each.    His  teachings  are  perfect, 
thorough  and  exhaustive.     Ever  since  His  manifestation,  those  teach 
ings  have  been  re-iterated  in  a  thousand. forms,  they  have  been  adapted 
to  different  powers  of  understanding  and  all  the  modern  scriptures  of 
Hinduism  have  grown  up,  round  the  central  point  of  those  teachings, 
Men  had  no  longer  to  complain  of  teachings.     They  had  to 
follow  those  teachings  now  and  to  live  up  to  them,     They  had  to   - 
begin  with  unselfishness,  and  end  with  liberation.  •  New  vistas  opened 
out  before  the  growing  spiritual  vision  of  men,  vistas  of  new  wo? 
•new   planes,  of  masters  of  Yoga  and  wisdom,  forming  every  link 
between  man  and  Isvara.     Possibilities  became  realities.     Liberation 
was  no  longer  a  word  of  the  lips. 

Now  liberation  is  a  relative  term,   First  there  may  be  liberation 
from   the   bonds   of  Triloki  only.     Or  it  may  be  from  the  limitations 
of  Janaioka  which  was  the   highest  possibility  with    which   the   Jiva 
started.     Or   it   may  be  liberation  from  the  bonds  of  the  Brahmanda 
itself.     The  last  liberation  is  again  two  fold   in   its   character.     There 
may   be   liberation   from   all  concrete  things  and  all  ideas,  indue 
the   idea   of   Isvara    Himself   or    the    liberation    may   lead    to   the 
great  Isvara  from   whom  many  solar  systems  proceed.     Mukti  !.<• 
only  liberation  from  bondage.     It  is  also   something  more.     It  iV 
acquisition.    Starting  from  the  plane  of  Jana  Loka,  the  Kumaric  soul 
acquires  higher  and   higher   possibilities.     He    may   transcend    Jana 
Loka.     He  may  transcend  even  the  Satya  Loka.    But  passage  across 
Satya  Loka  is  not  easy  in   this   Kalpa.     Mukti  in  its  fullest  and 
highest  sense  means  freedom  from  all  limitations  caused  by  Prakriti, 
caused  by  Time  and  Space  and  identification  with  Brahman,  who  is 
absolute  bliss,  absolute  consciousness  and  absolute  existence  beyond 
the  limits  of  Time  and  Space.     This  is  called  Atyantika  Pralaya  or  , 
absolute  dissolution.     But  this  Mukti  lean  never  be  obtained   till  all 
the  duties  of  a  man  are  performed.     These  duties  are  nothing  else 
but  sacrifices  or  Yajna.  Map  must  perform  each  one  of  his  duties— he 
must  perform  all  that  he  owes  to  himself,  to  all  other  beings,  and  last 
of  allthe  highest  duty  he   owes  to  the   Isvara  of  the  Universe  the  j 
Lord  of  Sacrifice,  Yajnesvara  Himself.     "jAdhiyajna  am  I,  here  in  the 
body,  best  of  living  beings." 

The  Bhagavatas  do  not  care  to  go  beyond  the  Yajna  Purusha. 
They  do  not  care  to  leave  the  life  of  sacrifice,  as"  long  as  their  Isvara 
stands  out  as  the  embodiment  of  all  sacrifice. 

11  Salutation  to  Thee,  Bhagavan,  let  me  meditate  on  Vasudeva. 
Salutations  to  Pradyumna,  Aniruddha  and  to  Sankarshana,  He  who, 


by  knowing  these  mfirtis  in  the  mtirtiless,  whose  only  mfirti  is  mantra 
makes  offerings  to  Yajna  Purusha,  is  the  complete  seer."  I.  5.  37. 
"When  the  Indriyas,"  said  Kapila,  "that  manifest  the  objects  of 
external  and  internal  perception,  become  trained  by  the  performance 
of  Vedic  Karma,  their  spontaneous  Vritti  (or  function;  in  a  man  of 
concentrated  mind  is  in  Satva  which  is  the  same  as  Vishnu.  This 
Vritti  which  is  void  of  all  selfishness  is  Bhakti  in  Bhagavana.  It  is 
superior  to  Muktt".  It  instantly  destroys  the  Kosha,  as  the  digestive 
fire  consumes  food.  The  devoted  have  no  yearning  for  that  Mukti 
which  makes  the  Jiva  one  with  Me.  But  they  prefer  ever  to  talk 
with  each  other  about  Me,  to  exert  themselves  for  My  sake  and  ever 

>ditate  on  me.  Mukti  comes  to  them  unas*ked.  My  Vibhutis, 
the  eight  Siddhis,  anc}  all  the  glory  of  the  highest  Lokas  are  theirs 
though  they  want  them  not.  I  am  their  Teacher,  their  Friend,  their 
companion,  their  all.  So  even  Kala  can  not  destroy  them." 

Again.  "  The  devoted  spurn  Salokya,  Sarshti,  Samipya,  Sarupya 

Sayujya,  even  when  offered  to  them  and  they  prefer  to  serve 
Bliagavan  ever  and  ever.  Compassion  and  friendliness  to  all  beings 
are  the  essential  qualifications  of  the  devoted.  They  must  be  humble 
respectful  and  self  controlled.  They  must  pass  their  days  in  hearing 
and  reciting  the  glory  of  Bhagavan."  Kapila  \\-  .ie  following 

classification   as  to  the  final  destiny  of  men  (p.  46;  : — 

1.  Those  who  selfishly    perform   their   Dharma   anu    worship 
Devas   and    Pitris  go   to   Soma   Loka,  and  after  partaking  of  Soma, 
they  are  again  re-bowi.     Their  Lokas  are  destroyed   with  the  daily 
Pralaya  of  Brahma, 

2.  The    worshippers    of    Hiranya-garbha     (Brahma)     reach 
Brahma   Loka   or  Satya  Loka  and  there  wait  for  two  Pararddhas  /.  e. 
for  the  life  time  cf  BrahmS   and   upon   the   final   dissolution   of  the 
Brahmanda,   they   enter   with   Hiranya-garbha,  the  Eternal  Supreme 
Purusha,  who  is  supreme  Bliss  and   their  sense   of  individuality   be 
comes  then  lost. 

3.  "  Brahm&  with  Marichi   and   other   Rishis,  with   Kumaras 
and   other   lords  ^  of  Yoga,  and  with  Siddhas  who  are  leaders  of  Yoga, 
do  by  their  unselfish  action,  and  at  the  same  time  the  retention  of  their 
individuality,   and   their  vision  of  separateness  reach  Saguna  Brahma 
or  the  Second  Purusha,  who  is  the  Isvara  of  our  system.     And   when 
Ka'a,  as  an  aspect  of  Isvara,  causes  a  disturbance  in  the  Gunas  on  the 
approach  of  the  creative  period  they  are  born  again  just   as   they   had 
been   before,     (They   are  born  because  of  their  individuality  and  their 
vision  of  separateness.     They  are  born  in  the  same  state  on  account  of 


436    1 

their  non-attachment  and  their  unselfishness  ^  •*  as  the  < 

Triloki  lasts,  they  enjoy  ail  the  divine  things  of  Satya  Loka,  accur 
to  their  Kanna.     (And  when    the   Triloki   is    destroy  attain] 

the   Saguna    Purusha,   who  is  First  Avatara.     Sridhara).     When  the  j 
Gunas  are  di  igain  they  come  back   (i.e.   they   revert   to   their  1 

former  posts  respectively.     Sriahara}"     JTi—32— xii— xv. 

4.  Those  who  unselfishly  perform  their  duties  and  give  th 
selves  up  entirely  to  the  Supreme  Purusha  void  of  all  attachment 
all  egoism,  calm,  tranquil  and  pure  in  the  mind  go  through  the  g 
way  of  the  Sun  to  the  all  pervading  Purusha,  the  Lord  of  all 
material  ami  efficient  cause  of  all  this. 

.mmenting  on  II — 2 — xxviii,    Sridhara   says  :— u  There 
three  courses    for   those   that  go  to  Brahma  Loka.     Those  who  go  by 
th£  excellence  of  their  merits,  become  holders  of  responsible  posj> 
in    the   next  Kalpa,   according   to   their   re  merits.      Those 

who  t'o  there  by    worshipping    Hiranya-garbha    and    others,   be 
liberated  along  with  Brahma,     Those  who  are  worshippers  of  Bhaga 
van,  pierce  the  Brahmanda  at  will  and  reach  the  State  of  Vishnu." 

The  classification  is  the  same  as  made  by  KapiSa. 

Hiranya-garbha  Upasana,  which  was  prevalent  at   one   time 
now   out   of  use.     It   was  the  worship  of  the  Life  aspect  of  Isvara.  as-' 
manifested  in  the  Solar  system.     There  is  a  higher  duty,   the   highest 
duty  of  a  Jiva  manifested  in  .this  universe,  to  realise  that  this  tin- 
itself  is  a  part  of  a  big  universe,  and  there  is  Isvara   of  that   big    uni 
verse  Bhagavan  Himself  and  to  surrender  one  self  completely  up  to  Him 
in  pure  love  and  devotion.     He  will  not  then  be  of  this   universe,    but 
he   will   be   of  many  universes,  he  will  transcend  the  limits  of  all  the 
.seven  planes  of  our  system  at  will.  What  his  work  then  will  be,  it 
Bhagavan  to  say  not  for  him.     The  work  of  Bhagavan  is  his  work,  the 
.life  of  Bhagavan  is  his  life.     He   becomes    a  Bhagavata.     The   Gopis 
are  ideal  Bhagavatas  and  the  Vrindavana  Lila  is  the  consummation  on 
this  earth  of  the  relation  of  a  Bhagavata  with  Bhagavan,     This   to   all 
Bhaktas  is  the  highest  form  of  Mukti. 

To  the  Bhakta,  there  is  no  Mukti,  without  the  universe  and  the 
Iprd  of  universe. 

Forget  the  universe,  forget  every  thing,  only  meditate  on  the, 
eternal  unchanging  element  in  you,  be  fixed  in  that  and  that  only 
and  you  attain  Atyantika  Pralaya,] 

PEACE  BE  T 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  TORONTO  LIBRARY 


Puranas.  Bhagavatapurana. 
English 

A  study  of  the  Bhagavata 
Parana